


Hidden Bonds

by kpopismydrug



Category: Super Junior, f(x)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Death, F/M, M/M, Multi, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-03 19:37:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 36
Words: 89,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1755359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpopismydrug/pseuds/kpopismydrug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Sungmin’s memories haunting him, Kyuhyun is torn as he watches his friend disappear from him. But when a stranger suddenly appears into their lives, he unknowingly brings a surprise that shocks them both. But it’s not before long when Sungmin and Kyuhyun have to fight against the stranger’s past in order to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

_Eight years ago_

_Fighting back the pain in his side, he struggles to catch his breath. With every exhale, his breath would turn into puffs of white because of the cold air, but that’s the only sign of it being cold._

_He should feel it piercing him, but his mind and body are focused only on one thing, to run._

_He looks around and sees the denseness of the forest and for a split second he wonders if they’re going to make it. That thought is quickly shot away when an explosion of noise erupts from behind them._

_The sweaty hand that was clasped tightly in his own jolts them forward and away from the oncoming noise, and once again his heart and lungs are burning, his feet moving quickly over tree roots and fallen branches. Only once did he trip, and the hand that was in his tightened, and the owner of it helped him back up, pausing only long enough to make sure he wasn’t hurt before lunging back into their never-ending sprint._

_The soundtrack in the once quiet forest is a mixture of outraged and demanding voices, all barking out orders and threats at the two people who are trying to escape it all._

_Their violent shouting booms throughout the forest, and causes both to push themselves harder and faster. They’d rather die than go back to what they were running from._

_While they run, they never once let go of each other’s hands. Even if he wanted to, he doesn’t think the other would even let him try since his grip is that tight. It’s to the point now where he can feel his skin bruising._

_The distance between themselves and the rage that follows behind has gotten wider, even though his heart was already pounding in fear; it starts to pound in hope._

_He glances to look at the other’s face and can see that hope is also lighting his eyes as well._

_Their steps are still fast, but not as brutal as they were before. The sounds of anger are already growing fainter behind them, and for the first time that night, he is able to catch a calming breath._

_“We’re losing them, we’re almost free.” He looks to the other who just whispered, the relief in the other’s voice is enough for him to finally relax somewhat._

_The other notices his somewhat relaxed posture, and matches it with his own before smiling softly at him._

_“Just a little bit more and then we’ll be safe,” the other says while looking up at the partially covered night sky._

_He can’t help but smile at the other, even though he can’t see it, and he squeezes the other’s hand and they pick up their pace through the trees._

_It’d been silent for a while now and it’s made them wary, both not used to the sudden stillness of the forest after what they had been experiencing all throughout the night._

_A sudden snapping of a twig makes them both freeze, eyes locked in the direction the sound came from._

_After a few moments of silence, they slowly relaxed their tense muscles and let out the breath they’d been holding._

_The other tugged his hand softly in an attempt to pull him forwards, but he couldn’t seem to take his eyes from the direction the noise came from._

_“Come on! We can’t dawdle,” the other whispered anxiously to him, and even though he knows they need to get moving, there’s just something that is screaming at him that something is over there._

_“Something is over there, Hyukie. I can feel it,” he tells the other while still staring at the darkness across from them._

_Then all of a sudden, everything is happening too fast._

_He felt the other tense and that itself told him that something was indeed there. Before he knew it, he was shoved backwards harshly and he lost his footing from the suddenness and fell._

_He hears the pounding of feet as the other runs towards the darkness, but suddenly his footsteps fall silent, then a soft thud and a small pained whine makes his heart stutter to a halt._

_That sensation of being watched returns and he looks to see glittering brown eyes staring at him from afar. Time seems to stop as he stares into those eyes._

_He knows those eyes, and is confused to why he’s seeing them._

_The mass of fur comes slowly towards him, and he’s convinced for a minute that the other is trying to communicate to him with his eyes._

_Then he remembers the pained cry and everything returns to normal speed, the mass of fur isn’t slowly moving towards him no more, but charging at him._

_He opens his mouth and whimpers a name, with another joining his through the air._

_“Eunhyuk....”_

_“Donghae....”_


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

_The streets were quiet, which was unusual, since at this time children would be rushing home from a long day at school. The sun, even though bright out, didn’t touch him. He couldn’t feel its warmth soaking into him._

_He paused to think. Why was his heart fluttering so fast in his chest? Why couldn’t he feel or hear anything around him?_

_“Hyung....” an eerie voice whispered to him, and his whole body snapped straight._

_His heart went from fluttering to outright pounding. His palms started to tingle and shake, and the shaking gradually spread throughout the rest of him. He closed his eyes and tried to pull away from the tugging sensation that was beckoning him forwards and down the street._

_He knew he didn’t have long before it would happen, and he cried out in his mind as his body made slow but steady steps down the street._

_He knew what was waiting for him and tried to escape, but his body wouldn’t listen._

_His mind closed off, and he was left trapped._

_The journey to the end of the street and around the corner felt like it took hours, but it only took a few small minutes. With every step he took, the more his heart started to clench with the knowledge that was about to come._

_He stopped and came face-to-face with the nightmare in front of him._

_“Please, no...” he whispered desperately. Not only did it echo into the street, but also in his mind, and it seemed to trigger the nightmare to come to life._

_The street that was once silent suddenly filled with levels of noise. People were urgently shouting things he didn’t understand then, and he still didn’t understand now._

_Sirens also filled the air, cutting through the noise and heightening the atmosphere._

_Someone bumped into him, but he didn’t feel it or acknowledged the rushed apology that was given to him. His eyes were transfixed on the scene that had caused this, and before he knew it, he was running._

_“Hey you, stop!” a voice full of authority and strain shouted at him, but he ignored it and ducked under the yellow tape. He didn’t make it far when he was tackled from behind._

_“Let me go! You don’t understand; you need to let me go!” he screamed at the deadweight on top of him, but it didn’t listen to him._

_Instead, it grabbed a hold of his flailing arms and dragged him, as gently as it could, up off the ground._

_He still fought the hands that tried to calm him._

_“Young man, you need to calm down. This is a dangerous place and you need to be beyond the yellow tape.” The authoritative voice from a few seconds ago spoke into his ear, trying to calm him down._

_He thrashes in the man’s hold, desperate to get away. The man picks him up and takes him pass the yellow tape, and it’s just in time too._

_An explosion comes from the house that he was desperately trying to get to, and he watches as planes of glass shatter from the intense heat and fly out to where he was, just a few seconds ago._

_He hears someone screaming, and a shiver runs up his spine at the brokenness and desperation ringing in it._

_It takes awhile for him to realise that it’s him who’s screaming._

_“Please, they’re only little!” he cries to the man kneeling beside him, and he cries harder at the sadness and sympathy that crawls into the older man’s eyes._

_The arms that were once restraining him, now wrap around him to offer comfort._

_He looks up at the house that was once his home, now ablaze and destroyed, just like his life._

_He watches as the flames were killed, and groups of people in red suits entered the house._

_The older man never once let him go, and he was grateful for the support since he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay standing if it was just him alone._

_In his mind - the part that has him trapped, he’s desperately trying to escape from what he knows is coming._

_“Please let me go!” He screams to himself, but he remains locked inside that part of his mind._

_“I’m sorry, son,” the older man says to him, and he just sobs as the reality of what’s just happened finally sinks into him._

_Never will he see the same twin pair of eyes look at him with the love that he full-heartedly returned._

_Never will he see them squabble over Lego bits. At first it would be playful, but then one of them would get hurt, and he’d have to soothe them both; one crying because he was hurt, and the other crying because he hurt the other by mistake._

_“Sir?” when the older male acknowledged that he was listening, the approaching stranger continued._

_“They’ve located four bodies,” the stranger pauses, probably to make sure if it was wise to be saying this with him right there, but the older man doesn’t deny him the truth._

_He feels his body begin to tingle as the stranger continues._

_“From what they can tell, it’s two adults and two small children. The children are probably not even over the age of five, sir.” The stranger concludes, and is about to walk away, when he finally speaks._

_“They turned four, just about a week ago,” he whispers, but they both hear him._

_He doesn’t hear their response, because the world tilts and everything goes black._

 

“Sungmin!” someone shouts and he’s jolted awake. He scans the room he’s in, and it takes awhile for him recognise the place. He’s in the lounge, in the medical clinic he works at.

 

He’s on his break.

 

Someone sighs just to the left of him, which makes him jump for the second time in the last minute. He sits up and turns to see the main doctor of the small clinic sitting in a chair beside the sofa that he was just lying down on.

 

“Kibum?” he questions the younger male, and is surprised to see the worry in his eyes.

 

“You were whimpering, hyung. I came in and saw that you were asleep, but you were whimpering and jerking around. You stopped moving and didn’t respond when I called you. You had me panicked for a second, Sungmin-hyung.” Kibum paused; worry still strong in his eyes. “I’m just glad you finally heard me calling for you.”

 

As Kibum explained what happened, Sungmin felt his cheeks heat up. He clears his throat and stands swiftly before moving across the room to get a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. He takes a much needed mouthful and tries to organise his still scattered thoughts.

 

He can feel Kibum’s eyes watching him, and it makes Sungmin feel a bit irritated.

 

“I’m not going to suddenly drop to floor and start fitting, Kibum. It was just a nightmare.” Sungmin says as he heads towards the door to leave, but stops when he hears the other’s quick intake of air.

 

“Kibum, don’t. Please.” Sungmin whispers, and when he gets no reply, he turns the door handle and quickly leaves the room and Kibum behind.

 

He may have left the room, but he can still hear Kibum’s whisper of wishing that Sungmin would be okay.

 

He moves from the lounge door, down the corridor, rounds the left corner, and enters the males’ toilets. He listens to see if there is anyone in, and when he hears nothing but silence, he rushes to the sinks.

 

He runs the cold water tap and waits until it’s freezing before gathering some in his hands and splashing his face with it.

 

As he removes the sticky sweat from his face and neck, he tries to regulate his thoughts back to normal.

 

Sungmin closes his eyes and thinks of his schedule for today. He’d already dealt with his morning patients, and had taken an early lunch with one of the nurses. He had two patients that need blood taking this afternoon, and recalls only doing one. He went for his break just before dealing with the second patient, but he ended up falling asleep and dreaming...

 

Sungmin suddenly punches the wall beside the mirror in order to shut off his train of thought. He takes a few deep and calming breathes and unclenches his fist, wincing at the sting in his knuckles.

 

He looks at his knuckles, already expecting to see the scrape on his knuckles healing. He sighs and washes the blood off while watching his body heal itself.

 

_If only it could heal this,_ he thinks to himself.

 

He was careless. He knew what was coming and he still pushed his body. If he didn’t push his body, then he wouldn’t have fallen asleep and started to remember.

 

As the dream replays in his mind against his wishes, he feels his knees suddenly drop to the tiled floor.

 

“Just for a minute,” he whispers to himself, and he rests his head against the sink as the sobs start tearing from his throat.

 

For one minute, he lets himself remember and grieve.

 

 

_“Hyung, what does this do?” a little voice calls to him, and he turns to see two small boys sitting safely on the breakfast bar stools, pointing to the blender that was on the island in front of them, waiting to be washed next._

_He rolls his eyes at the innocent question and explains what a blender is and what it does._

_He doesn’t think about it being a problem until he hears a hushed, “oops.”_

_He glances over his shoulder and drops the plate he was currently washing._

_One of the small boys was standing on the stool and leaning over with one hand on the blender with the other one inside, while the other boy had a hold of his hips._

_Sungmin felt his heart stop and rushed across the kitchen towards the island._

_His enhanced speed made it so that he got there just in time to yank the little boy’s hand out, just as his other hand flicked the ‘on’ button and the blade whirled to life._

_The plastic toy that was in the blender is immediately destroyed, pieces flying out of the top._

_Sungmin turns it off and unplugs it, before shoving it far away from them._

_As his heart rate returns to normal, he glares at the two boys._

_One has tears streaming down his face, and the other is soothing him._

_“Don’t either of you ever touch anything in this kitchen again. Do you understand me? What you just did there was very dangerous and stupid!” Sungmin fumed at the little boys, ignoring the twinge that his heart made when both started to cry silently._

_He pulls back in his anger which isn’t directed at the little ones but more so himself, he should’ve been more careful._

_He quickly moves so that he can hug them both, and soothes them to stop crying._

_“Sorry, hyung, we didn’t mean to make you angry,” they both whisper at the exact same time and Sungmin sighs softly into their hair as they each wrap a little arm around him._

_“I could never be angry with you two; I love you far too much,” he tells them. “Just be more careful in the future, okay?” He whispers to them, and feels them nod._

_It’s quiet for a few seconds, before they both whisper, “love you too, hyung.”_

Kibum, who is walking past the male toilets, hears the heart-wrenching cries from inside, and he feels his own heart tighten at the sound.

 

His hand rises to open the door, but he forces it down. Instead, he reaches into his white suit and grabs his phone, presses five, and calls.

 

He doesn’t have to wait long when the other person picks up, like they were expecting his call.

 

“How bad?” the person on the other end asks. His voice is smooth, but Kibum can hear his sadness.

 

“Come take him home. He shouldn’t even be here.” Kibum tells him, and he can hear the sound of a car alarm being turned off.

 

“I’ll be there in five minutes. Keep an eye on him until then.” Just before the person can hang up, Kibum quickly speaks.

 

“Kyuhyun, do you think he’ll be okay?” It sounded ridiculous, but Kibum had to ask him.

 

He needed to know that it’s not just him that can see the signs.

 

They both listen to the sobs coming from the bathroom, and Kibum knows even before the other speaks what his answer is, and it makes him want to cry too.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

 

Kyuhyun drummed his fingers impatiently against the leather steering wheel as he waited for the lights to change, which seemed to be taking their sweet time in doing so. He sighed and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension that had settled in, and glanced in his rear-view mirror at the man that was slumped against his seatbelt fast asleep.

 

The older male’s face was clear of the distress and pain that was on it when Kyuhyun had arrived at the clinic to take him home. Sungmin hadn’t wanted to leave at first, his loyalty to the clinic overriding his current state, and Kyuhyun had to get Kibum to talk sense into the older one, but even that did little.

 

Kyuhyun only said it as a threat, that he would drug Sungmin just so he could get him into the car; he hadn’t expected Sungmin to beg for him to do it.

 

He had been wary to do it and had looked to Kibum for help, whom merely shrugged his shoulders, saying that it wouldn’t hurt him and that it might actually help. Kyuhyun was still unsure, but when he was about to take Sungmin towards the exit and they heard a child’s voice echo from the waiting room, Kyuhyun was just glad that Kibum was right next to him since Sungmin immediately dropped to the ground and started to cry once again.

 

This time not so heartbreaking, but enough so that Kyuhyun’s mind was made up.

 

They had settled Sungmin into a spare room and explained that they were just going to make him sleep for a bit. Sungmin didn’t fight them; he just fought back the memories that were plaguing him. Kyuhyun had watched as Kibum injected the sedative into Sungmin’s veins and watched the older male relax and fall asleep as the drug seeped through his system.

 

Kyuhyun feels something inside him shake, and scowled. He knew the other inside him wasn’t happy with Kyuhyun at the moment, but he had other stuff on his plate without having to deal with his wolf.

 

_You should never drug a werewolf! How is he going to defend himself if he can’t move?_ His wolf ranted through his mind.

“Easy, by having another werewolf look after him.” Kyuhyun retorted to the voice out loud. “This was the best way for him to escape, and you know as well as I do he hasn’t been sleeping because he knew this day was coming, so don’t start. Remember, it’s me in control. Not you.”

 

Kyuhyun felt his wolf bristle at his tone, but he didn’t pay any mind to it.

 

_Just be careful. He’s fragile._

 

Kyuhyun didn’t know whether to roll his eyes at the comment or snap at it.

 

He settled for ignoring it and slipping into silence.

 

His wolf had always looked out for Sungmin, even before the two of them became close. When he questioned his wolf, it merely replied that for someone like Sungmin, he needs all the protection he can get.

 

In a way, his wolf was right.

 

Sungmin has all the attributes of a werewolf, but he can’t shift.

 

Sungmin has explained to them that while he does have a wolf inside him, he’s not as strong as a full werewolf should be because of his inability to shift forms. He doesn’t know the reason why he can’t shift forms, just that when he hit puberty he got the full extent of his abilities, but before puberty, he only had enhanced speed and hearing.

 

When Sungmin hit puberty, he got his enhanced strength, sense of smell, vision, and also a sleepy wolf. Sungmin told them that whilst growing up, he believed he didn’t own a wolf, since children his age at the time were already showing signs of their wolf whilst Sungmin felt nothing, so it had came as a shock when Sungmin felt his wolf stir.

 

Even now it’s hard at times to sense Sungmin’s wolf.

 

A car’s horn blared at Kyuhyun from behind, which snapped him to attention to see that the lights were green and he was holding people up.

 

He muttered a curse at the impatient person and shifted the car forwards only to break sharply.

 

The horn blaring took up once again, and this time Kyuhyun didn’t bother to hide his annoyance with the owner behind him. Instead, he watched the two men that had suddenly ran out in front of him as they raced towards the other side of the street, only just missing a few cars in the process.

 

He sighed in relief when they safely got to the other side, before easing his car forwards once again.

 

_What did I just say?_

“Shut up.”

 

 

 

Half an hour later, Kyuhyun pulled into the driveway, and he wasn’t surprised to see the person standing outside waiting for him.

 

He turned the ignition off, and slipped out of the car and proceeded to get Sungmin out. He felt, rather than heard the presence of Zhou Mi waiting behind him to assist with Sungmin.

 

“No need, I can manage. He doesn’t weight that much,” he tells Zhou Mi as he steps around him as he carries Sungmin in a bridal hold, walking up the gravel path that led into the grand house’s entrance.

 

“You drugged him?” Zhou Mi muttered from behind him as the car’s alarm beeped once before turning silent.

 

“He asked me to,” Kyuhyun states as he waits for Zhou Mi to get the front door for him.

 

He had only stepped a foot through the doorway when Leeteuk was instantly in front of him.

 

“You drugged him!?” Leeteuk almost screeched at him, and Kyuhyun rolled his eyes slightly at the man’s behaviour and easily skirted around him when he tried to take Sungmin from him.

 

“Kyuhyun, once you made Sungmin comfortable in his room, come see me in the office,” Kangin’s voice cut through Leeteuk’s worried murmurs from where he was standing off to the side, and Kyuhyun heard and felt the order in alpha’s words.

 

He headed towards the stairs with Zhou Mi leading ahead, and slowly made his way towards Sungmin’s room.  Zhou Mi was there already with the door open and Kyuhyun entered and gently placed the older male on top of his bed.

 

After making sure that Sungmin was comfortable, they both left, and when he started to head towards the office, Kyuhyun paused to face Zhou Mi.

 

“Will you-” he began, only to have Zhou Mi nod his head before he could even say what he wanted.

 

“I’ll just go get a book and I’ll sit with him why’ll you’re gone,” Zhou Mi smiled at him, and turned and headed up the corridor to his own room.

 

Silently, Kyuhyun thanked him and headed towards the office that was downstairs and towards the back of the large house. He turned to the right of the stairs and passed through the kitchen to see Ryeowook at the stove with Yesung leaning against the counter next to it.

 

Both stopped talking to glance at Kyuhyun, but neither spoke as he went on his way.

 

The dining area was empty, though someone had been recently by the looks of the half empty glass of orange.

 

_No doubt it’s Heechul’s_ , Kyuhyun thought to himself as he bypassed the door to the living room and entered though the door that lead you into a short corridor.

 

He stopped at the first door on the left and knocked gently.

 

“Come in, Kyuhyun,” Kangin’s voice was just loud enough to be heard through the door.

 

Kyuhyun entered, and was surprised to see Heechul and Hankyung also in the office.

 

He glanced at Leeteuk, who was standing beside Kangin as he sat behind his desk, and he had mixture of worry and annoyance on his face.

 

Heechul was currently sitting on Hankyung’s lap facing towards the desk, he didn’t even look at Kyuhyun as he entered, though Hankyung did smile and nod at him.

 

“Why is he here?” Kyuhyun questioned, and Heechul snorted, which caused Kyuhyun to glower at the man’s back.

 

“You forget about the one that befriend Sungmin first; do well to remember that, pup.” Heechul says to him with his head still turned away, but when he calls Kyuhyun ‘pup’, he turns his head and winks at him.

 

Kyuhyun bristles at the comment, growling at the word ‘pup’.

 

“Heechul, behave, otherwise you can go.” Kangin warns, and when Heechul doesn’t move or saying anything more, he asks Kyuhyun about how Sungmin is.

 

Kyuhyun glances at Leeteuk; he didn’t want to alarm the supposed ‘mother of the pack’ with his words, but he couldn’t see any other way around it.

 

Sighing, he looked at Kangin to see that the older male knew what was about to be said. He just needed it confirmed.

 

“It’s the second time I’ve seen him this bad.” Kyuhyun admits. “I think we all remember the first time he was like this.”

 

They all nod slowly at his words as they all remembered that time.

 

Kyuhyun was still new then, and it was Heechul who looked after Sungmin back then since at the time, Heechul, Hankyung, and Zhou Mi were the only people he was closest to.

 

“It’ll be awhile before he’ll return then,” Heechul says softly, and Hankyung rubs a hand up his back soothingly.

 

They’re silent as they remember, until eventually, Leeteuk speaks up.

 

“I don’t get it. What’s different this time around than the past other times?” he asks curiously, but it’s not directed to anybody particular.

 

When they look at him with confusion, he explains. “Every year the anniversary of his family’s death comes, but only twice has he acted so...I don’t know...broken?”  

 

“The first time was six years ago when Sungmin was twenty-three, but what happened then that caused him to breakdown?” Leeteuk wonders out loud, and Heechul answers this time.

 

“Easy. Kyuhyun joined and Sungmin couldn’t handle his snarky behaviour,” Heechul teases, and Kyuhyun knows this, but it’s still enough to rile him up.

 

Luckily Kangin saves Kyuhyun from saying something he might regret.

 

“This isn’t something to joke about, Heechul. Leave now. You’re just baiting Kyuhyun.” Kangin orders, and no one - not even the almighty Heechul, can deny an order from him.

 

“You know, it sucks to have an alpha younger than yourself to boss you around.” Heechul whines. “I don’t know how you can stand it, Teukie.”

 

Heechul stands and drags Hankyung with him, who is apologizing to everyone as they leave. But Heechul doesn’t get far out of the door before speaking once again.  

 

“Ever thought that maybe having to go through something that hard every year and not acknowledge it might just make him explode?” Heechul comments softly. “You should never bottle things up, especially things like that.”

 

Just before the male leaves properly, he adds, “also, be gentle with him, Pup. He’ll be sore for a few days.”

 

The door closes on Kyuhyun’s growl of, “I’m not a pup!” Ignoring his wolf inside him as it laughs at their bickering.

 

“Heechul might be right, Kangin.” Leeteuk begins, and Kyuhyun watches the male as he thinks. “Maybe Sungmin is keeping it locked up for too long, and that it only takes this day to trigger all of his pent up emotions.” Leeteuk looks at Kyuhyun for confirmation, and Kyuhyun nods.

 

“Sungmin never talks about his past, especially his family,” Kyuhyun admits, tone sad. “I only know has much as you guys. I try to ease into the subject, but he clams up and refuses to speak to me for a day.”

 

Kyuhyun thinks back on the countless times he’s tried to encourage the older male to open up, only to have it blow up in his face.

 

“Maybe,” Kangin sighs. “But for now, I want him watched and have someone with him at all times.” Kyuhyun nods at the male’s order. “When he gets through this, we’ll need to sit him down. Even if we have to restrain him, he needs to learn to open this part of his life up, otherwise he’ll never heal.” Kangin decides and Leeteuk nods in agreement.

 

Kyuhyun scowls at the last part, but nods in understanding. He’s about to leave them, but Leeteuk calls for him.

 

He turns and sees the male holding a folder, and immediately Kyuhyun groans pitifully.

 

“Hyung, I have to stay with Sungmin. I can’t-” he tries to protest only to have Leeteuk narrow his eyes at him, cutting him off.

 

“He’ll be fine with Zhou Mi while you’re gone,” Leeteuk says firmly. “It’s not every day, Kyuhyun. But you and Yesung have a job to do. Hopefully, it’ll be done in a week.”

 

Kyuhyun sighs and heads over to grab the folder, but just as he’s about to grab it, Leeteuk quickly moves it out of his grasp.

 

“All you have to do is sit and observe.” Leeteuk instructs. “Yesung will be the one handling everything.” Kyuhyun nods to show he understands and grabs the folder he’s given, already starting to flick through it as he leaves the room.

 

 

 

As the door closes, Leeteuk looks down at Kangin to see him staring at the picture on his desk.

 

He sighs softly before wrapping his arms around the alpha’s shoulders.

 

“He’ll be okay. He has all of us to help him through it,” Leeteuk whispers in his ear, joining his stare at the picture.

 

It was taken in the living room a few Christmas ago. Kangin was in the middle with a proud grin on his face, Leeteuk was standing next to him with a shy smile, and Heechul and Hankyung stood next to one another, arms around each others waist on Leeteuk’s left.

 

Yesung and Ryeowook stood next to one another, holding hands tightly on Kangin’s right, and Kibum and Zhou Mi were kneeling on the floor in front of Yesung and Ryeowook. Zhou Mi was sporting a massive smile that showed all of his teeth, while Kibum just stared with a small twist of the lips in a somewhat smile. 

 

Sungmin and Kyuhyun were kneeling on the floor too, but in front of Heechul and Hankyung. Sungmin was playfully pouting while trying to get Kyuhyun to do the same.

 

Sungmin had his hands pushing Kyuhyun’s cheeks together in an attempt to make it happen, and to Kyuhyun’s dismay, that’s when the camera flashed.

 

He had spent the rest of the day snapping at Heechul whenever the elder taunted him about it.

 

Kangin sighed and turned to press his lips briefly to his mate’s.

 

“I hope so. I really do.”

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

   

The smell of grilled pork and the light chatter sealed the atmosphere inside of the little street restaurant, with shouts for more meat and water being higher than the conversational tone.

 

Everyone here was somewhat happy, everyone except Donghae right now.

 

He glanced at the male that was sitting across from him that had a big, gummy grin on his face as he turned the small bits of meat on the table’s open grill. Donghae watched as his lips moved in excitement, and his face kept flickering to look at the much older man sitting next to him who was pouring out the chilled water into a glass for each of them.

 

The older man was called Shindong; he was their only real friend here, and the second person they could trust in the past eight years.

 

Donghae looked down at his hands, feeling out of place in the whole happy atmosphere. He just wanted to go home now, but Shindong was busy continuing the so called good news.

 

“It’s for four weeks, six at the most. We could really use your help in setting up the new place.” Shindong paused to look at the boy opposite him, taking in the dark heavy eyes caused from lack of sleep and the slight slumped shoulders.

 

Donghae pretended to ignore the older man’s gaze and helped with sorting the side dishes around the table.

 

“The pay is a decent amount; it’ll help with both parts of your life. Your past and future.” Shindong continued, looking at the other male who was practically vibrating next to him, and finishes with a small smile. “What do you say, Eunhyuk? Will you take the job?”

 

Eunhyuk, excited at the opportunity to gain more income, had to pause to look at Donghae.

 

Said male was trying very hard to keep his emotions in check.

 

Eunhyuk sighed and glanced at Shindong, who smiled at him encouragingly. Eunhyuk knew this is what they needed, he just hoped the other male would understand and let him do it.

 

“Yeah, I’ll take the job.”

 

 

 

Even though it was nice earlier, it was now raining.

 

The rain pounded on the windows of the small one bed apartment, the sound oddly soothing to his ears.

 

What wasn’t soothing was the sound of Eunhyuk moving around their shared bedroom, packing.

 

Donghae was sitting just under the window. The cramped living space was in darkness, and he’d been sitting there ever since they came home from eating dinner with Shindong.

 

The walk back from the restaurant didn’t go too well. As soon as they thanked Shindong for buying dinner and for getting Eunhyuk the job, Donghae had ran from them both. He heard had Eunhyuk shout after him, and was no doubt only a step or two behind him, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t stop at the crossing junction either, even though it said that it wasn’t safe to cross, and almost got killed by more than one car while he raced home. 

 

By the time he got home, Eunhyuk wasn’t speaking to him.

 

They’d been that way for about two hours now, and it was killing him.

 

A sudden bang and a smothered curse shocked him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the bedroom door to see a hand pick up the still rolling deodorant before disappearing out of sight.

 

It was silent now. Eunhyuk had stopped packing, and that made his heart squeeze.

 

“Donghae, come here. Please.” Even though the other just spoke softly, Donghae was still able to hear him.

 

Donghae swallowed the lump in his throat and ordered his limbs to work so he could join Eunhyuk in the bedroom.

 

The bedroom light blinded him for a few seconds before he was able to control his vision again. He saw that Eunhyuk was sitting on the air mattress that they shared, and his duffle bag was beside his feet.

 

Eunhyuk looked up at him, and Donghae’s throat worked hard to keep any sound from leaving him.

 

“Hae, please don’t cry,” Eunhyuk whispered as he reached out towards him, and that was all it took for Donghae to lose his inner war.

 

Eunhyuk pulled the smaller man into his arms and heard the little cries start to leave his body. He rubbed his hand up Donghae’s back in an attempt to soothe him, before saying what he needed the other to understand.

 

“You know we need the money,” Eunhyuk gently reminded him. “We haven’t had a stable income for months, and the landlady can only be so generous with us both. You know why else we need the money too,” he whispered to him, and he felt Donghae’s nod against his chest.

 

“We need to hide our past, but that’s all we have been doing for the past few years, Eun!” Donghae whispered desperately, and Eunhyuk just squeezed him tighter against himself.

 

“I know, and with this money we can hopefully find away to disappear without having to run every couple of months.” Eunhyuk tightened his hold around the upset male. “We’ll be safe,” Eunhyuk tries to make the other understand.

 

“But you won’t be,” Donghae whispered, and looks up to see Eunhyuk scowling down at him.

 

Eunhyuk looks into those brown and bloodshot eyes and wipes the tears from his cheeks. The others skin is pale and slightly cold, and Eunhyuk narrows his eyes at the darkness under the other’s eyes.

 

“You know I will be fine, and you need to promise me now that while I’m gone you’ll look after yourself.” When Donghae opened his mouth to no doubt argue with him, Eunhyuk growled lowly in warning.

 

“I mean it.” Eunhyuk stresses. “When I come back, and if you’re in an even worse shape than you are now; I mean it, Donghae, you won’t like what I’ll do.” Eunhyuk tries to keep the threat down to a minimum, but from the sudden limpness in the Donghae’s body and the slight tilt of the male’s neck, Eunhyuk knew he failed.

 

He sighed as he gently and slowly ruffled the other’s hair, trying to ease the submission away.

 

Donghae immediately relaxed and resumed a much comfortable position than he was previously in. He looked up to see Eunhyuk staring at him with disappointment in his eyes.

 

“You know I would never hurt you, Hae,” Eunhyuk scolded him slightly, and Donghae felt a tiny bit sheepish.

 

“I know you wouldn’t. You just forget how domineering you can sound at times.” Donghae says with a small smile to show that he doesn’t mean it as a criticism, just a little fact.

 

They’re quiet for a while as they both disappear into their thoughts with the rain acting as the soundtrack to the moment.

 

Donghae glances at the other’s face. His eyes were closed, but Donghae knew they were the same shade of brown as his own; the other’s face was a lot sharper than his own, especially his jaw line. Eunhyuk’s hair was just starting to grow out of its style; it still had a hint of red to the brown from the dye job he did last year when he went red, but a couple of months ago decided to go back to his natural colour due to the state of it.

 

Donghae glanced down at the other’s body and twisted his lips. Eunhyuk had a more toned and well built body than Donghae, stronger.

 

Even though they both had tried to get Donghae to be like Eunhyuk, his body wasn’t having it. Donghae’s upper body got toned, and his arms became a tad bigger than they were, but that was all.

 

They and Shindong argued that it was because Donghae is the faster one out of them and that Eunhyuk was the stronger one, so it made sense for Donghae to be smaller than Eunhyuk.

 

 Still, Donghae wasn’t happy with it for a while.

 

“Can you burn your eyes into me any harder?” Eunhyuk asks him before opening his eyes to look at him curiously.

 

“I dunno, has your brain finally blown up from all the thinking you were just doing?” he teases back, and ducks and rolls off the mattress to escape the sudden fist coming his way.

 

“Jerk,” Eunhyuk mutters, before kicking out at him playfully.

 

Donghae stayed where he was on the floor and smiled as Eunhyuk got to his feet and offered a hand.

 

The same hand that’s always held his through everything.

 

He grasped it tightly and let Eunhyuk pull him up.

 

They both watched each other, studying each other, before Donghae pulled him into a hug which Eunhyuk returned fully.

 

“What if you get hurt and I’ll never know?” Donghae whispered, and he feels a light slap to the back of his head.

 

“Okay, three reasons,” Eunhyuk began.” One, you know that I won’t get hurt, so stop fretting. Two, remember Shindong - you know, the guy who we’ve known for years and who is also coming with me? Yeah, I think he’d tell you. And three, and this is the important one,” Eunhyuk pulls away to stare hard into Donghae’s eyes to erase all of his fears in one go.

 

“You’re my twin, albeit we’re not identical,” Eunhyuk smiles, stressing it softly. “You would know instantly if anything had happened to me, just like I would with you.”

 

Eunhyuk watches the doubt drain from the other’s eyes as Donghae finally relents his worry. He stares at Donghae, and for a second, he wonders if he’s doing the right thing.

 

This would be the first time that either of them would be away from one another. The last time had been before they left that place all those years ago. Ever since then, they’ve been together, and the only time they were apart was only for a few hours as they worked.

 

Eunhyuk has never left Donghae alone before, and he doesn’t know if the younger one is ready for it. 

 

Donghae narrows his eyes at the emotions on Eunhyuk’s face, and can guess where his thoughts are.

 

“I’m capable of being on my own, Hyukie,” he assures firmly. “If you can do this, the least I can do is make sure you have a home to come back to.” Donghae shakes his head when the older one tries to speak and continues, “maybe I’d have found something by then too.”

 

Eunhyuk keeps his mouth shut as he sees the stubbornness in the other’s eyes.

 

A sudden ringing echoes through the room, and they both turn to stare at Eunhyuk’s phone.

 

Eunhyuk sighs and goes to pick it while feeling Donghae’s eyes watching him.

 

He glances at the caller ID and looks to Donghae, who is now trying hard not to meet his gaze.

 

“It’s Shindong,” he says softly, and answers the phone. There’s a slight pause as he listens, and he tells Shindong that he’ll be down in a minute before hanging up.

 

He looks at Donghae who is crying once again with his hands balled tightly at his sides.

 

Eunhyuk moves towards his bag, picks it up, and pulls out a brown envelope, before throwing it over his shoulder.

 

He moves slowly towards Donghae, breathing past the lump in his throat.

 

“I’ll be back in six weeks,” he promises him. “I’ll hurry, okay?” He says as he holds out the envelope towards Donghae.

 

Donghae glances at it, and before Eunhyuk knows it, he has a shaking man clinging to him.

 

“Just come back; that’s all I want,” Donghae whispers to him, and Eunhyuk swallows his own tears as he returns the tight hug.

 

A minute later, Eunhyuk quickly moves from Donghae and leaves the room.

 

Donghae tries to track the other’s footsteps, but the other is always silent, and it’s only the sound of the front door locking that he hears.

 

His heart is frantic in his chest; the silence in the apartment seems too big now. The rain that was once soothing, chills him now. He crawls onto the mattress and pulls himself into a ball, hugging himself as he lets the tears run down his face.

 

He ends up falling asleep because of his previous exhaustion and the emotional goodbye, the envelope that contained the money that Eunhyuk gave him is tight in his hands and just near his face so that he can still smell the other’s scent.

 

He dreams of a time where himself and his twin where happy and safe, and he longs to be like that just once again.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

 

_A week my ass_ , Kyuhyun thought to himself.

 

The red lights flash up on the stage and the seedy music resumes once again. He watches as the female slowly walks onto the stage, eyes downcast, before slowly looking up at the audience, and then her body joins the rhythm of the music.

 

Kyuhyun grits his teeth at the so-called erotic dance. The filthy perverts in this place saw a sexy and exotic female dancing with barely anything on her and smiling sensually to them.

 

All he saw was a foreign female werewolf looking for a way out.

 

His job, along with others, was to make sure that all the surrounding areas where werewolves that didn’t belong to a pack were safe. When he and Yesung were assigned to this job, it was just to confirm that what people were suspecting was actually wrong.

 

But as it turned out, they themselves were wrong. 

 

They had observed the establishments for a few days, and when signs showed that the places were clear of the mistreating of female werewolves, they closed the case. Kyuhyun couldn’t help it if the females actually wanted/enjoyed working here, but if he had his way, none of them would be.

 

But he had still felt something was off about one of the establishments, so they stuck around a bit longer, only to discover that what had concerned some of the werewolves in the area was actually true.

 

You can tell by the scent when someone is scared and nervous to do something because of last second nerves, because that disappears after the first few seconds of them doing it, that scent disappears just as soon as their nerves do.

 

But true fear lingers, and it pollutes the air until it starts to affect you, twisting like a knife in your chest.

 

That’s what both he and Yesung felt three nights ago.

 

The establishment was a new one, and it was set in part of the city that had very low levels of werewolf activity. This was why only a few werewolves raised the suspicion, so Yesung began to dig around and found out the details of the new establishment.

 

As it turned out, the owner is a werewolf that is often in trouble with not only their law but also the human law. He’s been reported to have mistreated his female staff, and also his clientele in the past.

 

While they have evidence on him already, there wasn’t anything yet to show that the female in question was in actual harm’s way.

 

Even though Kyuhyun hated to sit back and do nothing as she radiated her fear; he had to see if she was truly being mistreated.

 

Yesung was currently sitting next to him, hands tightly fisted around the bottle of beer he had to buy to keep up appearances. Yesung had come close to yanking the female off the stage, consequences damned, but Kyuhyun had managed to stop him.

 

“But she’s from China!” Yesung hisses at him. “How do we know he didn’t manipulate the situation because of the language barrier?”

 

“We don’t.” Kyuhyun calmly says, trying to get the male to stay calm. “That’s why we’re waiting to secure a meeting with her alone,” Kyuhyun hisses back, already hating the idea of putting the female through the process of securing time alone with them.

 

But they couldn’t stay long, they never could. The female’s fear was making the control on their wolves slip.

 

The wolf inside them kept demanding that whoever was making her feel like that was to be dealt with.

 

Kyuhyun heard Yesung grunt and then the sound of muted glass cracking, and glanced to see that the bottle that was in Yesung’s hand was now cracked and spilling beer.

 

“Go.” He tells the older male, and watches as the man struggles to direct his body away from the stage and towards the door.

 

Kyuhyun glances at the female who was now standing only on one foot whilst the other was straight up in the air, her flexibility causing her audience to become more interested.

 

He used the crowds revolting cheers to mask his growl of distaste, and the female’s eyes flickered to him.

 

The female’s shock replaced her fear for a second, and Kyuhyun used that second to clamp down more firmly on his wolf.

 

_‘You’re supposed to protect our females! Yet you sit here doing nothing but growling!_ ‘

 

_‘Shut up and get back,’_ Kyuhyun snarls in his mind to his wolf _. ‘If she sees how close you are to the surface, she’s only going to get more scared. Back off now!’_ He snarls at his wolf, and watches as the female starts to lose her composure.

 

“Damn it,” he curses and forces his body to leave quickly without looking in her direction.

 

No one notices him leaving, and once outside, he storms to where they had parked the car and gets in whilst slamming the door behind him.

 

He takes in deep gulps of air to get rid of female’s fear, and tries to calm down.

 

“You break that door handle and you’re buying another one,” Yesung’s voice seeps through to him, which helps to clear his head.

 

Kyuhyun releases his death grip on the handle and leans back into the seat, opening his eyes to stare up at the car’s ceiling.

 

“What the hell are we going to do, Kyuhyun?” Yesung asks, and Kyuhyun thinks back to the look in the female’s eyes when she noticed him.

 

He slams his head back and groans in frustration.

 

“I dunno, but we need to act fast,” he mutters, and listens as Yesung starts the car and pulls away.

 

He turns to watch the establishment disappear from his eyes, before closing them and shutting out his wolf as it voices his rage.  

 

 

 

Donghae was panicking.

 

Eunhyuk has only been away for almost two weeks and he was already in trouble.

 

The little money that Eunhyuk had given him was almost gone, since Donghae went to try and pay off some of the rent that they owed; he was determined to secure their home, even though it wasn’t the best of places to be living in, but it was theirs.

 

What he didn’t realise was that they owed a _lot more_ than he’d originally thought.

 

Donghae had argued with the elderly women to take the money, since she refused to take it when she saw the dawning panic and worry on his face. He had refused to leave until she begrudgingly accepted half of the money, and he vowed that they would pay the rest as soon as Eunhyuk returned.

 

Donghae has been cursing his twin ever since for hiding how much they owed.

 

But that was a week ago, and Donghae was about to run out of money.

 

He stared at the paper in his hand and sighed. Eunhyuk would kill him if he found out, but if Donghae played it right, the older one would never know.

 

Donghae hated the thought of lying, but this was the only thing he could think of to earn quick and easy money.

 

He folded the paper and placed into his pocket, and with a deep breath, he entered the building.

 

Immediately his senses were bombarded. The skin-crawling music and the levels of conversation assaulted his ears, sweat and cheap alcohol burned his nose and taste buds, and the lighting was dim, meaning that you could only make out things that were near the scattered sources of light.

 

His pulse started race. What the hell was he even thinking to be doing something like this? Could he seriously work behind the bar in this atmosphere?

 

Donghae turned to leave, but froze when a strong hand gripped his shoulder.

 

He turned his head slowly to see who had a hold of him, and felt a shiver run down his spine at the hungry and very dominant eyes staring back at him.

 

“Leaving so soon?” The male grinned. “Come on, stay,” he coaxes. “I think we have the room for someone _just like you_.”

 

Donghae held back the whimper at the demand in the man’s voice.

 

Donghae had no choice but to allow the werewolf to lead him towards the bar and through the door marked ‘staff’.

 

He was cursing himself big time for getting into even more trouble, and for being so weak against other werewolves.

 

As they walked down a long corridor that had various doors, the intimidating werewolf glanced at him, and Donghae immediately avoided eye contact and tried not to react to the man’s laughter at the sign of his submission.

 

“You’ll fit in just fine with our other resident wolf,” the male tells him. “She’s just like you, lost and weak.”

 

The male cruelly laughs at the last part, and they pause in front of a door that read ‘workers’.

 

Donghae stiffened at the smell of another werewolf coming from behind that door, and before he could process what his brain was telling him, the man grabbed him and opened the door.

 

“You work for me now, understood?” The male whispered into his ear. “You come to work every day at the designated time that I give you, and you do whatever I tell you to do.” Donghae cowered as the man’s order rolled over him, freezing him.

 

He nodded meekly to show he understood, and was shoved into the room.

 

“Play nice, children,” was all the man said as he slammed the door shut.

 

Donghae’s body relaxed as soon as the domineering man left the room, and he tried to gather his thoughts. Something was screaming at him to pay attention, and was finally able to with the help of a quiet snuffle.

 

His head whipped around at the sound, and his brain immediately focused back on what he’d processed before he was shoved into the room.

 

Donghae watched as the female tried to subtly move lower to the floor, while trying to hold back her tears.

 

Her fear was _clawing_ at him, and Donghae struggled to keep his head clear as the scent rattled his and wolf’s mind.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he spoke quietly and as gently he could, while making sure that his body wasn’t showing any signs of reacting to her fear.

 

She stared at up him, and he saw the fight in her eyes of trying to calm herself down.

 

He slowly moved to kneel onto the floor with his palms facing outward, displaying signs that he wasn’t going to harm her and that she could trust him.

 

They both stayed like that for a few minutes as the smell of her fear slowly started to get weaker and fainter.

 

“My name is Donghae,” he introduces himself slowly. “What’s yours?” he asks her softly, treading slowly in case she got spooked again.

 

It was obvious the female had trust issues with male werewolves, and he couldn’t blame her, not when you had a boss like theirs.

 

Donghae watches as confusion and then understanding blooms in her eyes, before uncertainty creeps in.

 

“My name is...Victoria?” she says hesitantly, her accent heavy, and Donghae smiles encouragingly at her.

 

“Victoria?” he repeats, and she nods. “Where are you from?” he asks slowly to make it easier for her to understand, and she smiles at him slightly.

 

“China.”

 

Donghae’s stomach fills with pity.

 

“I came here awhile ago with friends?” she pauses as she looks for the right words, and Donghae refrains from going to her.

 

He doesn’t want to spook her, but as she resumes speaking, just not in Korean, he begins to laugh softly.

 

She stares at him with hurt etched into her face, and then understanding dawns on her and she flushes red. Donghae raises his hands to stop her panicked stuttering.

 

“It’s okay; I can understand Chinese, well, a little bit of it anyway.” He says to her in Chinese, and it’s him this time that is hesitant in speaking with Victoria being the one smiling at him encouragingly.

 

“You lost your friends? Am I right?” he asks slowly, making sure that he had indeed heard her rushed Chinese correctly.

 

When she nods, he starts to frown more as they slowly interact with each other in a mixture of Korean and Chinese. He finds out that Victoria had actually moved to Korea with her boyfriend and not with friends as he thought she had done.

 

They had broken up a few weeks ago, and she was trying to save enough money to return home, but what she hadn’t counted on, just like he didn’t, was to be forced to work for a domineering werewolf.

 

“I don’t understand,” she says to Donghae, and he waits for her to carry on. “I thought submissive werewolves were supposed to be protected?” She looks at him pointedly, and he can feel his cheeks warming.

 

They had slowly become comfortable with each other in the past few hours, her work day had ended and he had yet to start his, and his stomach was churning with nerves.

 

He cleared his throat to unlock the sudden lump formed by embarrassment.

 

“You sometimes get werewolves that think too domineeringly that they forget simple instincts, kinda like how our boss has,” Donghae explains, and he frowns when she smiles sadly.

 

“Sounds like you’ve met too many werewolves like that,” She says softly, and Donghae slowly nods. 

 

“I can’t really fight back against someone like that because...” Donghae bites his lip and quickly carries on, “just because.”

 

He ignores the curious gaze he can feel on his face, and smoothes his face to show nothing.

 

“I guess we’re both stuck here then,” she says dejectedly, and he watches as she packs up her costume that she wore for the day.

 

He couldn’t help but scowl at the lacking material.

 

“Unless they come back again,” She whispers low enough so that Donghae only catches it faintly.

 

He tilts his head curiously at the words, and he gets up to help her and watches her from the corner of his eye.

 

“Who are they?” he asks, but he’s unable to get a reply due to the door suddenly opening, taking them both by surprise.

 

“Ah, glad to see you’re both getting along so well!” their boss says with a smirk on his face, and motions for Donghae to come with him.

 

Donghae tenses at the hand beckoning him forward, but he feels the slightest touch of Victoria’s hand brush against his and he relaxes, before moving towards his new boss.

 

“We’ll see you the same time tomorrow, Victoria,” he dismisses her, and she bows slightly with her hands balled at her sides, shaking ever so slightly.

 

Donghae feels something shake inside him as he drags his eyes from her and follows the man down the grim corridor.

 

_We’ll help her, just as soon as we can help ourselves._

 

Donghae nods at his wolf’s words, and summons every ounce of strength he owns to prepare himself for whatever his new boss has planned for him.

 

 

_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

 

Kyuhyun was awkwardly slumped over his laptop with various folders scattered around him and on the floor.

 

He was half asleep when the screaming started.

 

His spine snapped up straight at the sudden noise, his joints popping at the sudden movement.

 

He charged from his desk, almost tripping over the rug in the middle of his room with his door banging off the dresser with it echoing behind him as he raced down the corridor.

 

 Shoving Sungmin’s bedroom door open, his attention was instantly on the bed. The body on it was thrashing dangerously towards the edge and Kyuhyun moved just in time to catch Sungmin from slipping off the bed.

 

Kyuhyun glared at the other body on the bed that was trying to restrain the thrashing.

 

“Zhou Mi, get out of the way and go find Kibum, otherwise we’re going to have the police banging on the doors,” Kyuhyun growls out as he lifted Sungmin back onto the bed and all but pinned the older man to prevent him from, not only hurting himself, but also Kyuhyun.

 

He heard the sound of Zhou Mi running, heading away from him, and he focused on trying to wake up Sungmin.

 

He called his name repeatedly while tapping his cheek gently, but when the screaming didn’t stop, he sighed in frustration.

 

_Let me try and call him. He might hear,_ his wolf urges.

 

“You’re not helping,” he growled to his wolf, and ducked when one of Sungmin’s arms had managed to get free and was aimed at his head.

 

“Sungmin, you need to wake up!” Kyuhyun urged. “Come on, wake up!” Kyuhyun spoke almost desperately, repeating himself, and nearly sagged with relief when the screaming stopped after his words turned pleadingly.

 

Kyuhyun intently watched as the thrashing subsided and Sungmin’s body stilled. He gently climbed off him so that he was knelt beside Sungmin, and brushed the damp hair of the male’s sweaty face.

 

He froze as Sungmin twitched underneath his fingertips, and waited with his breath held for the screaming and thrashing to start again.

 

Instead, all he got was Sungmin’s brown eyes slowly opening up at him.

 

“Kyu...?” Sungmin whispered, and the word cracked because of his throat’s hoarseness from the screaming, but Kyuhyun heard the nickname and fought back the tears.

 

Sungmin reached for him, and he quickly held the other’s hand and squeezed gently. He watched as the elder’s eyes watered slightly before closing, letting a lone tear escape.

 

“Thank you.” Kyuhyun heard him whisper softly, and watched as Sungmin relaxed and fell back to sleep, a seemingly more peaceful one this time.

 

“Kyuhyun?” he looked up at the voice to see Kibum and Zhou Mi standing in the doorway.

 

Zhou Mi had tears running down his face while gripping Kibum’s hand and it looked like he had dragged the male from his room.

 

Kibum didn’t seem to mind the hand, and looked at Kyuhyun with concern.

 

Kyuhyun sighed as he squeezed the hand in his own.

 

“He’s back,” he whispered as he stared at the sleeping face of his hyung that had vanished into himself two weeks ago.

 

Kyuhyun heard a soft thud and glanced to see that Zhou Mi had fallen to his knees and was now crying with relief with Kibum kneeling down with him, whispering to him and trying to calm his sobs.

 

Kyuhyun didn’t have to listen hard to sense the other people in the house join in with Zhou Mi’s relief.

 

Kyuhyun leaned forward and rested his head against Sungmin’s chest, listening to the steady pace of the other’s heart beating.

 

“Welcome back, hyung.”

 

 

 

“You’re still alive then,” the voice on the other end of the phone teased, which resulted in Donghae rolling his eyes.

 

It’s been a few days since Donghae had started working at the burlesque club, but during those few days, he and Victoria had become close friends.

 

Donghae, to his immense relief, only worked behind the bar. He would listen as the men lusted after Victoria, and to show his distaste, he often spat in a few drinks, making sure to mix them well to hide his little surprise.

 

Then once his shift was finished, he would soothe the female and ease her mind from what she’d been previously doing.

 

“Hae? Are you there?” Eunhyuk questioned, and there was a tinge of worry in his voice, and Donghae realised that he hadn’t been listening to his twin at all.

 

Instantly he was swept with guilt.

 

“I’m here, sorry, I just spaced,” Donghae apologised quickly. “Though, it’s not my fault you’ve turned boring while you’ve been away,” Donghae teases back, and was relieved to hear his twin laugh in response.

 

“Okay then, I’ll just hang up since I’m boring you,” Eunhyuk retorts, and when Donghae heard the sound of the phone moving, he nearly bit his tongue off in trying to stop it.

 

“No! Don’t hang up, not yet,” he pleads, and was glad to hear the phone being moved back to Eunhyuk’s ear.

 

“You’re still clingy I see,” Eunhyuk comments lightly. “Damn, I was hoping for that go away while I was away.” The teasing tone was once again back in the other’s voice.

 

Donghae smiled, and listened this time as Eunhyuk explained what he’d been doing.

 

He was helping Shindong with training his new staff at his medical clinic in the next city over. It was a brand new clinic and Shindong needed someone reliable enough to run it, and also to train some of the staff.  

 

The staff training was easy enough; Eunhyuk helped them understand how to calm a werewolf down and how to physically subdue an uncontrollable wolf.

 

When Donghae asked if he had gotten hurt during this, Eunhyuk muttered about having a few bruises before swiftly carrying on, and Donghae fought not to pry.

 

“So, do you think you’ll be back earlier than expected?” Donghae asked and secretly hoped that he was because he honestly didn’t know what to do with his problem.

 

“I don’t think so, Hae,” Eunhyuk sighed. “I’m trying not to take up too much time; even I don’t want to stay here longer than I need to.”

 

With his twin’s words echoing in his mind, Donghae felt his hope shatter and he unknowingly let out a small sigh, which resulted in Eunhyuk going quiet.

 

“Is there something you’re not telling me, Donghae?” Eunhyuk’s voice was dangerously low with suspicion, and Donghae suppressed the urge to come clean.

 

This was his mess and he was going to get himself out of it. He couldn’t keep running to his twin forever. He was twenty-four years old, for god’s sake!

 

“No,” he assures. “I just miss you. It’s weird being alone,” he admits because it was true. He still woke up in the morning expecting to have a hand in his face and half of the blanket gone, only to remember that he was alone.

 

“I miss you too.” Eunhyuk whispers, and Donghae smiles. “It’s just for a few more weeks and then I’ll be back. Then you’ll be wishing I never returned,” Eunhyuk jokes, and Donghae was about to bite back when he heard someone shout from Eunhyuk’s end.

 

He listens as his twin finishes speaking to the other person before speaking to Donghae again.

 

“I have to go now,” he says softly, and Donghae was already fighting back the tears, wanting to speak to him longer.

 

“Be safe. I love you,” he whispers, and the phone almost snaps in his hand because of his tight grip.

 

“Never mind me. You,” Eunhyuk stresses, “be safe. You’d better be taking care of yourself, my threat still stands,” Eunhyuk warns him, and Donghae lies and reassures him that he’s okay.  

 

Eunhyuk is silent, probably wondering if Donghae is telling him the truth, before he sighs softly. “I love you too...bye.”

 

Donghae just manages to say the words back and hangs up when his tears start falling.

 

“Forgive me, Hyukie,” he whispers to himself as he hears the alarm clock in the bedroom start to ring, reminding him that he has to go work in an hour’s time.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

 

 

“Today, we’re definitely getting that meeting. “We can’t keep running.”

 

Kyuhyun tensed at Yesung’s words.

 

The sounds of cutlery become quiet around the table, and Kyuhyun almost snarled at it.

 

Today wasn’t a good day.

 

With the past couple of weeks being so tense because of caring for Sungmin, and also the pressure of the case, Kyuhyun felt like he was about to snap.

 

He looked up from his food to meet Yesung’s eyes that looked tired too, but also defiant.

 

Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed, and he ignored the warning that Kangin sent his way.

 

_How dare he speak to us like that!_ His wolf hisses to him. _Speaking like we haven’t been trying to free the female! It’s always him that has to run because he can’t control his wolf. He needs to be taught a lesson!_

“Kyuhyun, push him back. That’s an order.” Kangin’s authoritative voice breaks through to him. “Yesung, drop your eyes, otherwise I won’t stop him if he attacks.”

 

Kyuhyun waited until the older man’s eyes dropped before yanking his wolf back. As soon as he had his wolf back in place, his body relaxed, and he sighed heavily.

 

He felt the soft pressure of a hand on his back as it moved in small, calming circles.

 

He glanced to see Sungmin staring at him with worry.

 

“What the hell was that just now?” Kangin asked them both calmly, and Kyuhyun looked up to see Yesung looking a little guilty.

 

Kyuhyun sighed. “The case that Leeteuk put us on is taking a lot longer than we thought it would,” he explains. “I guess the pressure is finally getting to us.”

 

He looked over to see Yesung nod his head in agreement.

 

“What’s the problem?” Leeteuk asks in worried tone.

 

Kyuhyun and Yesung both explain about the female and how they haven’t been able to get near her because of her fear was making their wolf go nuts.

 

The response around the table when they heard of the female was expected.

 

Heechul hissed and shoved his plate away as Hankyung tried to calm him down, but he too had a mask of disgust of his face. Ryeowook shuffled slightly closer to Yesung, but didn’t touch him, and Zhou Mi gasped in horror and Sungmin turned to calm him down.

 

Kyuhyun looked over to gauge the Alpha’s reaction, and wasn’t surprised to see fury blazing in his eyes.

 

Leeteuk tried to calm him down, but he was white as a sheet.

 

“Kyuhyun, Yesung,” both looked over to their Alpha and waited for the command they knew was coming. “You go and you bring her here. Tell the bastard who has sent you, and use force if he tries to intervene.”

 

Kangin pauses to gain eye contact with both of them before continuing.

 

“That female is getting out of there. Today.”

 

 

 

Donghae watches as Victoria brushed and pulled her hair into a high ponytail before securing it and spraying with hairspray.

 

The other was due to go out on stage in twenty minutes, and she was starting to get scared, just like she does every night.

 

Donghae hated seeing her like this, so he always tried to keep her mind off it by talking about absolute rubbish, and she would laugh and declare his rambling ‘cute’. But she would still grow tense, unable to stop the fear that would start to trickle in.

 

It wasn’t so bad in the dressing room, their own bubble of safety, but once she was behind the curtain on the stage, Donghae could always feel her fear from where he was working at the bar.

 

It would make his wolf whine helplessly.

 

 “You’re quiet,” she says to him while she patted her face with a powder puff, adding the final touches to her make-up.

 

He squirmed in his seat as she turned from her mirror to face him properly, her light brown eyes lit with concern.

 

“I won’t push you; just know you can tell me anything, okay?” At her words, Donghae felt the need to confide in her.

 

She had shared her story with him, and while he could never tell anyone his, he felt the need to share what was bugging him with her, to show that he cared for the concern and friendship they had developed.

 

He has very little friends to begin with; he wasn’t going to push one away.

 

“Do you remember me saying that I had a twin?” he asked her, and when she nodded, Donghae started to share his worries about Eunhyuk working away.

 

She listened to him speak, not minding when he repeated himself or got angry for getting upset again at speaking of the separation and worry.

 

She moved from the dressing table and knelt in front of him, taking a hold of his hand and gently brushed her thumb over the back of his hand.

 

That gesture alone meant so much to him that - to his growing embarrassment - he cried.

 

“We’re twins, so we’ve never been apart for this long,” he tells her. “I’m scared I’m going to lose him as well,” he mutters softly, and wipes at his face with his free hand, only to realise his slip up when he felt Victoria’s thumb stop.

 

“As well?” she questioned him, and Donghae stared, wide eyed at her confused ones as he tried to bypass his shock that was caused from his stupidity.

 

“Have you lost someone before, Donghae?” Victoria questioned him. “Is that why you’re terrified of losing your twin?”

 

Her questions were starting to make Donghae panic, and he doesn’t deal with panic very well.

 

He dimly heard Victoria yelp and something falling, but his mind was too busy fighting off the demand that his body wanted to do.

 

He groaned as his skin grew tight over his muscles and felt his bones beginning to shift and crack.

 

He gritted his teeth as the shift jolted through his body, turning his groans into painful whimpers.

 

He had fallen onto the floor when his spine had jacked-knifed him off his seat, and he lay there as he felt his skin prickle as his fur grew.

 

The room stank of Victoria’s fear and confusion, dust, and make-up and hair products.

 

He shook his body that had finally finished its shift into wolf form, and tried not to feel hurt at the reaction Victoria had towards him.

 

He slowly looked towards her to see that she was across the room, sitting on the floor, and staring at him with wide eyes.

 

“Donghae?” her voice shook as she said his name and Donghae felt even worse.

 

He knew of her fear towards male werewolves, and yet here he was, sprawled on the floor in his wolf form.  

 

He whined softly.

 

“Donghae, its okay-” Victoria tried to soothe him, but was startled as the door flew open to reveal their confused boss.

 

Donghae tried to flatten himself to the floor as much as he could while hoping the other wouldn’t see him.

 

From the low growl that suddenly slipped into the air, he knew he didn’t succeed.

 

“What the hell are you doing?!” his boss growled at him, and Donghae helplessly whimpered in reply.

 

“Yelling at him isn’t going to make him shift back!” Victoria defended and approached Donghae slowly.

 

Donghae kept still while she crawled closer, and if he had vocal cords he would’ve gasped when she place herself between him and their boss.

 

He shifted to move her, but at her quick glare she sent him, he retreated.

 

“He’ll shift back when he’s ready,” she firmly told their boss. “In the meantime, the show is about to start. Let’s get going.”

 

Donghae watched with a sense of pride at the female’s display of courage.

 

For the first time since meeting her, she didn’t cower in fear at the sight of their boss; in fact there was a small trace of anger coming from her.

 

_If she can stand up to her fear, surely we can?_

 

 

 

An hour had gone by and Donghae was still in his wolf form.

 

He was pondering over the words of his wolf. Victoria had stood up to her fear twice today and it made Donghae proud.

 

He was just wondering if he would be able to do that, sooner rather than later.

 

It would make his life, as well as his twin’s, so much easier.

 

_I’m sorry I couldn’t hold it back,_ his wolf sheepishly apologises.

 

Donghae sighed as best as he could in his form, so it came out like a chuff, and spoke to his wolf within his mind.

 

_It was partially my fault. If I hadn’t lost control of my mouth, I wouldn’t have revealed it,_ he says softly. _You just did it to protect us, though next time, at least warn me so that I can save my clothes._

He looked mournfully at his ruined jeans and shirt, closing his eyes with the sound of his wolf’s small guilty whine echoing in his mind.

 

 

 

“Something’s different.” Yesung commented, and Kyuhyun grunted in agreement while staring at the lit up stage.

 

They’ve been here just ten minutes and the female was already on stage dancing, but her fear wasn’t as control-shattering as it had been.

 

Yes, she was still terrified of the place, but it felt like something was masking the true extent of it.

 

It had Kyuhyun baffled.

 

“It’s not just me who feels like something is smothering her scent, is it?” Kyuhyun asks as he watches the female slowly come to the end of her performance.

 

“No, I’m picking up that as well, but I can’t tell what it is,” Yesung murmurs as they watch. “Do you think she’s doing it?” Yesung asks, and Kyuhyun shake his head in disagreement.

 

“She would have masked herself days ago,” Kyuhyun tells him. “We need to get closer, see if we can get a clearer scent of it.”

 

They leave their position from sitting at the bar and discreetly head closer towards the stage.

 

Yesung was tailing him from further behind, staying close to the shadows of the club, as Kyuhyun made his way closer to the female.

 

He was just close enough to smell her, and as she spun and ended her dance, it meant she could too.

 

The female’s head whipped up at the scent of him, and Kyuhyun was hit with the full force of her fear.

 

He staggered back and stood on someone’s foot who was sitting behind him, and he turned and forced himself to apologise to the person while keeping a hold on his wolf’s reaction.

 

When he turned back and saw the female whipping behind the curtains, he waited till the stage lights dimmed before he and Yesung chased after her.

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

 

 

Kyuhyun and Yesung had chased the female from the stage and through some corridors before she paused in the middle of one.

 

“Wait! We’re not going to hurt you!” Kyuhyun calls out to her as he and Yesung stop running, both walking slowly towards her so they don’t spook her more.

 

The female ignored them and turned to dart to a door on the left.

 

Kyuhyun shoots towards her, and he was just about to grab her arm from opening the door when Yesung began to shout.

 

“Use your nose!” The older werewolf shouts, the shout echoing in the narrow corridor, and the moment his words sunk into Kyuhyun’s brain, the door that the female had a hold off, clicked open.

 

Just as his brain processed the smell of an unknown male werewolf coming from within the room, said male werewolf was already running at him.

 

He shoved the female to the side to protect her and braced himself as the wolf ploughed into him.

 

The force shoved Kyuhyun back into the corridor wall and he grappled with the wolf’s chocolate coloured fur to keep it from his vulnerable neck, his own growl matching the wolf’s.

 

“Kyuhyun, stop!” Yesung ordered him just as the female called out, “Donghae, stop!”

 

Kyuhyun stared into the wolf’s eyes, and for one long second, his own wolf went quiet.

 

The wolf in front of him seemed to freeze, and Kyuhyun watched as the wolf’s eyes turned from anger to mute horror.

 

Kyuhyun grunted as the wolf flopped limply into his arms, and he almost dropped it from the suddenness.

 

Reading the submission, he placed the wolf slowly onto the floor and watched as the female flung herself at the wolf.

 

“Donghae? Can you hear me?” she anxiously called. “It’s okay, you didn’t mean it. I know you didn’t and so do they,” she soothed, glancing up at them, and they frowned at her words.

 

“What do you mean, ‘he didn’t mean it’?” Kyuhyun barked at her, and felt his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline when the wolf on the floor started to shudder before shaking properly.

 

He watched as the female soothed the shaking wolf, and he felt Yesung slip beside him.

 

“What the hell is going on?” he hissed to the older man, before he felt a sharp pain in his arm from the sudden slap Yesung gave him.

 

He yelped at the sting and glared at Yesung, who rolled his eyes. “Heechul’s right, you’re just a pup,” Yesung tuts.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kyuhyun growls at the older man, and felt his wolf stir slightly.

 

Yesung grabbed him and yanked him away from the other two werewolves.

 

“It means you have more to learn still!” Yesung snaps at him. “What you nearly did there was attack a submissive wolf which was protecting its friend! You wouldn’t be able to tell since you haven’t met many submissive wolves that are like him, so you can’t recognise the scent,” Yesung lectures brutally, and Kyuhyun snapped his head to look back at the wolf.

 

Now that he’d knew what he was smelling, it was the same smell he had smelt on the female when he had gotten close to her.

 

Kyuhyun flushed with guilt.

 

“That explains why her fear was bearable this time, the wolf most have calmed her without them both knowing,” Yesung quietly says, and Kyuhyun doesn’t reply.

 

He couldn’t take his eyes of the wolf as he watched the female calm the animal down.

 

For some strange and bizarre reason, he was feeling a tad jealous of the female.

 

“What’s going on here?” a male’s voice boomed, and all four looked to see a very angry male charging towards them.

 

Yesung rushed to stop the man while Kyuhyun quickly moved and stood in front of the two scared werewolves, protecting them.

 

He frowned as the double dose of fear hit his back, wrapping around him, and his wolf nearly roared with rage.

 

_Kill that man, now!_

 

Kyuhyun grunted as his wolf slammed against him to gain control, and tried to calm his wolf’s bizarre behaviour. 

 

_You have lousy timing, get back!_ He snarls at it. _The female is safe; we’re not going to let the man touch her. She’s coming home, remember?_

He shoved his wolf back and almost sighs with relief when he didn’t charge back for another go.

 

“You really think I’m going to let you two take away my workers?” Kyuhyun heard the owner scoff, and he narrowed his eyes at the man.

 

“I don’t think you have a say in the matter.” Yesung’s voice was low and dangerous, and the man seemed to flinch a bit, reading Yesung’s dominance. “The female has been screaming for help for the past few days, and as a werewolf, you should’ve tried to erase that fear, not exploit it!”

 

“You abused them both with your domineering; count yourself lucky we’re only taking the female away and not your life,” Yesung warns him, and when the man showed no sign of fighting, Yesung motioned for Kyuhyun to help the female up.

 

Kyuhyun couldn’t have stopped his wolf from speaking even if he had tried.

 

“ _Both_ ,” it says through Kyuhyun. _“Both are coming home.”_

 

 

 

Yesung turns to look at Kyuhyun, only to see that his eyes were gold and that it was his wolf speaking.

 

He watches as the younger male turns and helps the female up before taking off his jacket and flinging it over the limp wolf.

 

Yesung motions for the female to come to him, and he lets Kyuhyun pass with the wolf in his arms before following after him.

 

_Kangin’s going to flip when he hears this._

 

 

_We’re dead,_ was all that Donghae was thinking.

 

The moment he had heard that door click open and smelt Victoria’s fear, plus two unknown male werewolves, which he had charged at one of them; he knew he was as good as dead.

 

He couldn’t let Victoria get hurt by the two males, and it was at that moment that Donghae’s fear and submissive personality flew out of the window.

 

Though, the wind kindly shoved his fear and submission back at him when one of the males had a locked grip on him.

 

Not to mention that the man’s wolf was practically screaming at Donghae’s to back down, which he gladly did and only listened to Victoria trying to calm him down.

 

When he heard the other male - that he had stupidly attacked - say that he was taking not just Victoria home, but also him, he definitely knew he was done for.

 

He didn’t dare breathe when the other had picked him up and carried him out of the club.

 

Donghae just wished he’d never acted the way he did.

 

Now, he was in the home that the two werewolves lived in, which - to his horror - housed a lot more werewolves than he was comfortable with.

 

The man, Kyuhyun - Donghae thinks, had taken him somewhere upstairs, and he was left in a small room that looked like it was a spare bedroom, since no distinguishing scents claimed otherwise.

 

He didn’t go looking around the room, because as soon as Kyuhyun placed him on the soft rug in the middle of the room and left, Donghae immediately shuffled into the nearest and emptiest corner.

 

He was still in his wolf form, which was safe for him since he had a chance, albeit small, to defend himself.

 

He couldn’t hear anyone, which meant he was either up here alone, or he was in a room that was far away from everyone else.

 

Donghae didn’t know if he liked the silence or not.

 

_We need to escape._

Donghae nodded his head in agreement with his wolf and slowly eyed the room he was in.

 

There was a window to the left of him that had a window seat, but he couldn’t see the lock from where he was lying.

 

Donghae slowly got up, careful to keep his nails from clicking on the wooden floor, and made his way to the window.

 

He snorted at the dust lingering in the cushions, and almost started coughing when it only aggravated the dust to cloud up into his face even more.

 

He growled playfully at the dust, and nearly jumped through the window in surprise when he heard a soft chuckle come from behind him.

 

He turned his head slowly to see a tall and thin male standing in the doorway with a bright smile on his face.

 

Donghae froze at the sight of the stranger, and watched helplessly as the man entered the room with silent steps.

 

“You’re so cute!” the stranger gushed and Donghae blinked dumbly at him as he tried to figure out if he had indeed heard the male correctly.

 

_He called us...cute?_

Donghae growled softly, which only surprised him since the man in front of him just grinned wider and knelt down in the middle of the room.

 

“My name is Zhou Mi, and I’m not here to hurt you. In fact, no one here is going to hurt you,” Zhou mi reassured him brightly, but Donghae had learned his lesson from years ago.

 

“Victoria told me that your name is Donghae, did I say it right?” Zhou Mi asked him slowly, and Donghae caught the little accent that he had missed before, but then he realised that he was speaking about Victoria and he glanced from the man to the open door.

 

Zhou Mi caught his gaze and understood what Donghae was trying to say.

 

“She’s okay,” he comforts Donghae. “I told you, we’re not going to hurt you.” Zhou Mi, again, tries to convince him, and while Donghae didn’t want to believe him, Zhou Mi was telling the truth.

 

He couldn’t detect the scent of lies.

 

“Will you shift back?” Zhou Mi asked him. “It’ll be easier to communicate, and I also have some clothes here.”

 

Donghae watched as the man slowly stood and quickly went out of the door, only to return a second later with a bag.

 

“The jogging pants might be a bit long in the length, but the top should fit you. You’re much broader than Kibum-shi.” Zhou Mi placed the bag into the middle of the room and smiled at Donghae.

 

“I’ll come back for you in fifteen minutes, which should give you plenty of time to shift back.” Zhou Mi kept speaking as he headed backwards to the door. “Once you’re done, I’ll take you to get some food, which is what Victoria is doing at the moment. Though, when I left, she was scolding Ryeowook about something in the kitchen...in Chinese.”

 

Zhou Mi smiled, and Donghae couldn’t believe how different she was acting.

 

_She’s gotten over her fear it seems._

“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes,” was all Zhou Mi says as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

 

Donghae looked at the bag and moves towards it. He sniffs the contents and was hit with the smell of human, confusing him slightly.

 

He shoved the confusion away and focused on making his body shift back into human form.

 

 

 

Kyuhyun watched with an amused smile as Victoria chattered in a mixture of Chinese and Korean to a slightly confused and understanding Ryeowook.

 

Ryeowook, like them all, understood Chinese to a certain extent because of the Chinese brothers, Hankyung and Zhou Mi. But, he couldn’t blame the little man from getting confused from the sudden language changes.

 

Zhou Mi had gone back upstairs a few minutes ago to collect the other werewolf, and from what Zhou Mi as seen, and from what little Victoria has told them, he wasn’t a threat to them.

 

“You managed to steal her away then,” Sungmin’s voice came from behind him.

 

 Kyuhyun turned in his seat at the kitchen’s island and smiled tiredly at him.

 

“Not only did we ‘steal’ her, but also another werewolf that was forced to work there,” Kyuhyun tells him, and at Victoria’s laughter, he turns to see that Ryeowook was red in the face and spluttering nonsense.

 

“Kyuhyun, why do you smell like that?” Sungmin quietly ask as he abruptly stops moving closer to him.

 

Kyuhyun would’ve glared and snapped something sarcastically at the older male, but as he turned back to glare at his friend, he saw that Sungmin’s face was completely white.

 

Instantly he was on his feet and reaching for the man, only to have Sungmin rush backwards away from him.

 

Kyuhyun had been concerned a few seconds ago, now he was full blown worried and slightly hurt at the rejection.

 

“Sungmin, what’s wrong?” Kyuhyun asked him, and the chatter from behind him turned silent.

 

Kyuhyun watched as Sungmin stared at his arms with so much confusion rolling off him that Kyuhyun could practically taste it.

 

Kyuhyun stared in horror as Sungmin started to shake, his eyes welling up with tears.

 

He ignored Sungmin’s frantic shoving as he grabbed the man’s arms and yanked him into his arms.

 

“Kyuhyun, let me go!” Sungmin screamed at him desperately whilst thrashing in his grip.

 

“Tell me what’s brought this on!” Kyuhyun shouts over his scream. “What do I smell of that’s made you like this?” Kyuhyun asks, just as desperately, while trying to hold onto the other man.

 

“You smell like him! And you can’t smell like him because it’s not possible!” Sungmin cried and Kyuhyun froze at the words.

 

He felt Sungmin turn limp in his arms, and he helped him sit on the kitchens tiled floor.

 

Just as he did that, he heard Zhou Mi shout a name that was new to them all, but it made Sungmin freeze in his arms.

 

Kyuhyun heard the sound of pounding feet coming from the staircase and looked up just as Donghae entered the room, his eyes only on one person.

 

Time seemed to stand still as Kyuhyun watched Donghae’s eyes turn from wide with disbelief, to small with uncertainty and pain.

 

The word that was said next cut into everyone in the entire house, more so for the trembling man in Kyuhyun’s arms.

 

“Hyung?”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

 

 

“Hyung?” Donghae whispered unsurely, and his heart clenched painfully at the word, but Donghae waited with anxious anticipation for the other’s response.

 

A sob echoed through the kitchen, and Donghae _knew_.

 

His whole body collapsed to the floor as he felt the hot tears run down his face.

 

“Please,” he whispered desperately with his arms stretched loosely out, staring at the male’s back.

 

A heartbeat passed, and he almost howled with overwhelming relief and joy when a sudden, but totally welcome, weight crashed into him.

 

They both clung tightly to each other and cried together.

 

It felt like his heart was going to explode from all the love it was trying to pour out into the older man.

 

Donghae nuzzled into Sungmin’s neck, inhaling greedily the scent of him that he’s never forgotten.  

 

“Hae, my little Hae,” Sungmin whispered repeatedly with so much love and pain that it made Donghae cling and cry harder.

 

_We’ve found him. We finally found our brother._

 

 

 

Kyuhyun handed the glass of water to Donghae’s grateful hands, and watched as he took a sip from it.

 

After the shocking event that had just happened in the kitchen, Leeteuk and Kangin were anxious to know what has going on.

 

They, along with the two brothers, had moved into the office so that they had the privacy to discuss this revelation.

 

Kangin was sitting behind his desk, and Leeteuk was standing next to him, both of their faces were sharing the same fondness as they watched Sungmin and Donghae interact with one another, a ghost of familiarity evident in their touches.

 

They were still holding hands, and Kyuhyun knew that if they were able to sit next to each other that Sungmin would be holding the younger male.

 

“Thank you, Kyuhyun-shi,” Donghae whispered as he handed the now empty glass back to him.

 

Kyuhyun steeled his spine from the out-of-place shudder that wanted to run up his spine when Donghae spoke his name.

 

As he turned to leave, Sungmin’s hand whipped out and grabbed his wrist.

 

He stared questioningly at Sungmin, and the other smiled at him. “After everything you’ve done for me, you have a right to know too.”

 

Kyuhyun glanced at Kangin to see if it was alright, and when Kangin nodded, he pulled over the spare chair from the corner and sat next to Sungmin who instantly grabbed his hand.

 

Kyuhyun tried to breathe past the tension that his body was suddenly feeling, and felt Sungmin squeeze not only his hand, but Donghae’s too.

 

Kyuhyun glanced at Donghae to see that his body was stiff as well.

 

_Strange,_ Kyuhyun thought to himself as he tried to ease the unnecessary tension from his body.

 

“Sungmin,” Kangin began, and all three looked up at the gentle tone coming from the alpha.

 

Sungmin looked at his brother, before telling his story.

 

Sungmin tells them that Donghae was not just his only brother, but that Donghae was a twin, and the other twin was called Eunhyuk. Sungmin was four years old when they were born, and he’s loved them since the moment they came into the world.

 

“Sungmin-hyung was always there for us,” Donghae tells them shyly, avoiding looking at them. “He even sacked our nanny when we were two years old because he couldn’t stand the way she looked after us, even though he was just a child himself.” Donghae spoke so softly that Kyuhyun nearly had a hard time catching his words.

 

“I may have just been a child, Donghae, but I’d learnt very early on how to look after myself. I never once regretted looking after you or Hyukie,” Sungmin comforts him firmly.

 

“Sungmin, where were your parents?” Leeteuk asks carefully, and Kyuhyun saw both brothers tense at the question, and jumped in surprise when he heard a growl escape from Sungmin.

 

“They weren’t parents, they were pathetic,” he spits out. “Who would leave their one year old twins and five year old son alone in the house while they went out gallivanting as wolves? Who would chose their pack jobs over their own children? Who would ignore their first born child simply because he didn’t have a wolf?!” he yells with so much hate that Kyuhyun felt it as if it were his own.

 

The sudden but very quiet whimper from Donghae nearly caused Kyuhyun to shove Sungmin out of the way to get to the man.

 

Kyuhyun slammed himself into his chair and was thankful no one was paying attention to his strange behaviour.

 

He watched with gritted teeth as Sungmin held Donghae in his arms and gently soothed him.

 

Leeteuk was also kneeling beside Donghae’s chair as he too tried to calm the man.

 

What Kyuhyun didn’t see was that Kangin was staring at him with unreadable eyes.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry Hae; I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sungmin whispered and looked at Leeteuk with worry in his eyes.

 

He remembers that Donghae was the submissive twin, but he didn’t remember him being _this_ submissive.

 

He trails his eyes over his sibling’s body, taking in the way he positioned himself that screamed submission, and frowned.

 

Something wasn’t right.

 

Leeteuk caught his frown and he felt the older male squeeze his hand in reassurance.

 

When Donghae had calmed down and returned back to normal, Sungmin told them of the twins supposed death.

 

“All these years I’ve been grieving the death of you two and you were alive all along,” Sungmin whispered, and he couldn’t keep the hurt from coming through his voice.

 

“I’m sorry, hyung, but me and Hyukie had been doing the same thing for you,” Donghae tells him desperately, and Sungmin was worried that he would revert back into the shell he was just in.

 

“We found out the truth when we turned sixteen, and we only found that out because of our parents fighting. W-we learnt that t-they,” Donghae was starting to stutter and Sungmin felt helpless, but he had to let Donghae take his time.

 

He needed to hear to truth of what had really happened twenty years ago.

 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Donghae softly spoke, and Sungmin felt his throat clench at the sight of the tears in Donghae’s eyes, but nodded for Donghae to go on.

 

“They didn’t love you, hyung,” Donghae breathes. “They didn’t love you because you’re different. They...they said they were ashamed of you and were thankful that they had me and Hyukie.” Donghae’s voice was breaking from his effort of holding back his tears.

 

“They couldn’t kill you. They didn’t love you, but they couldn’t kill you. I still don’t understand that, even now!” Donghae vents at that, before calming and carrying on. “So they decided to leave you. The only way they could do that without you following was to fake our deaths, along with their own.”

 

Donghae was gripping Sungmin’s hands in a death grip as he stared anxiously into Sungmin’s eyes.

 

Sungmin didn’t know what to think, he just stared into Donghae’s watery eyes.

 

 “They told us that you had gotten into an accident on your way home from school and that you didn’t make it. They wanted to move away because the house reminded them too much of you,” Donghae whispered, voice catching. “We were kids. We didn’t think of how fast it seemed to have happened, or the way our parents suddenly started being in our lives a lot more.”

 

Sungmin was torn. He needed space to digest what he’d just learnt but he didn’t want to leave his brother.

 

His hands were shaking and he couldn’t for the life of him stop them. His thoughts felt scrambled, the words that he desperately wanted to say, he just couldn’t form them.

 

“Hyung?” Donghae calls weakly, and Sungmin realised that he was crying.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Hae, I need a minute.” The words that he had been dying to say were replaced with his rushed apology.

 

He couldn’t look at the hurt on his brother’s face as he almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to leave the office.

 

He dimly heard the voices of his pack members rush to him as he ran through the dining room and into the kitchen, and then finally out through the back door.

 

For the first time in years, he wished for the ability to shift into his wolf’s form, but instead of hearing the sound of clothing ripping, he heard the sound of his feet pounding into the dry grass as he raced towards the edge of the forest.

 

He couldn’t shift, but just like his wolf, he felt more at ease inside the forest.

 

As he raced through the trees, the sky was red with the setting sun. The orange light that seeped through the branches kept him from the darkness that was chasing his mind.

 

His memories of his childhood and teenage years flashed in front of his eyes, and he stumbled to a stop.

 

All he had wished for during those years was to be with his brothers, and here he was running away.

 

_What am I afraid of? ...Am I afraid to hear how Hyukie and Donghae were shown affection and love by our so-called parents after they abandoned me? That, before they knew the truth, did they actually forget about me? While for me a day didn’t go by without something reminding me of them,_ Sungmin questions to himself, and freezes as his mind replayed the scene in the office.

 

Every time their parents were mentioned, Donghae seemed to shrink into himself, and his voice would also grow shaky as he tried to speak about them.

 

Sungmin’s stomach started to sink as he turned back into the direction of the house.

 

He had a new fear now, and it was clawing its way through his body.

 

_Donghae, what happened to you?_

_  
_


	10. Chapter 10

 

 

 

When Sungmin ran from the room, Kyuhyun didn’t know what to do.

 

A part of him was screaming to follow Sungmin and make sure he didn’t harm himself, whilst the other part of him was demanding that he get his butt over to the hunched form that was softly shaking.

 

Donghae’s was crying silently, but Kyuhyun was feeling the other’s pain as if it were his own.

 

It made him want to smash something, whilst holding the other in his arms and soothe his pain away.

 

_He needs us; don’t deny him that comfort when he so desperately needs it,_ his wolf hisses to him.

 

“Oh my god,” Kyuhyun moans quietly to himself, before heaving hid body off his seat and approaches Donghae.

 

Leeteuk was rubbing Donghae’s back and whispering low enough so that Kyuhyun couldn’t hear him, those two things alone were enough for Kyuhyun to narrow his eyes and - not so subtly - nudged Leeteuk’s hand off the other’s back.

 

Kyuhyun ignored the sharp, confused look that Leeteuk was giving him as he gently grasped Donghae’s shoulder.

 

“Donghae -hyung, Sungmin will be okay.” Kyuhyun started to smile as Donghae lifted his head to look at him, and almost frowned at the sight of his red eyes and tear-stained face.

 

“He seemed angry and upset though.” Donghae sniffled, and Kyuhyun felt his throat go tight at the surprisingly cute sight.

 

Kyuhyun shook his head in reply to Donghae’s words, while also trying to knock his brain into working properly.

 

“Upset, yes, but I can say with certainty that he isn’t upset with you or your twin,” Kyuhyun reassures him. “He’s angry with your parents about how they took you away from him, making him believe that you two had died.”

 

As doubt crept into Donghae’s eyes, Kyuhyun found himself doing something so weird yet so right at the same time.

 

He bent down slightly and gently grasped Donghae’s chin, wiping away the stray tear that had escaped the male’s brown eyes.

 

“Believe me,” he whispers to Donghae. “Sungmin will be back after he’s calmed himself down, so you can stop worrying, okay?”   

 

He keeps eye contact with Donghae, and he saw the surprise and uncertainty that shot through Donghae’s eyes.

 

Kyuhyun dimly thought that he could stare into Donghae’s eyes for a lifetime and watch them share what he was feeling.

 

But what Donghae was feeling now was fear.

 

Kyuhyun snapped up straight with his wolf’s vehement disagreement ringing in his head.

 

He had realised that he’d moved closer to Donghae without him even realising it.

 

He hadn’t moved that much, so it wouldn’t have placed him in an embarrassing position, but it was enough for Donghae to instantly fear him.

 

_He should never fear us! We would never harm him! Tell him, tell him now!_ His wolf howled.

Kyuhyun placed his hand on the back of Donghae’s chair and breathed through the urgency that was pounding through him. He heard Leeteuk speaking to Donghae, and he was grateful for the distraction as he shoved his wolf as far away from him as he could.

 

Leeteuk was asking if Donghae was hungry, and when the male hesitated, Kyuhyun immediately swooped in.

 

“I can take you to get some food,” he offered.

 

Leeteuk nodded. “Kyuhyun can introduce you to the other members while you eat.”

 

If Kyuhyun hadn’t been watching Donghae like a hawk he would’ve missed the small tensing of his shoulders at the mention of the other pack members.

 

Kyuhyun jumped in yet again before Leeteuk could continue.

 

“Or we can eat in the room you’re staying in?” he suggested. “You’ve been through enough tonight without having to meet everyone else. I’m sure that it can wait until breakfast.”

 

Kyuhyun looked up at Kangin to get his permission, and jumped slightly at the look in the alpha’s eyes.

 

 

 

Kangin was watching the younger one with knowing eyes, and agreed that Kyuhyun could take Donghae to eat in his room.

 

He saw Leeteuk glance at him questioningly as Kyuhyun hovered by Donghae as he slowly got up, but he didn’t hurry him like he would’ve done with the other pack members.

 

Kangin had all the evidence he needed.

 

Leeteuk asked Donghae to tell Kyuhyun if he needed anything before letting them leave the office.

 

 As soon as the door closed shut, he turned sharply to glare at Kangin.

 

“What do you know that I don’t?” he growled at Kangin, and while any other time Kangin would’ve turned that growl into something more sexual, he merely nodded to the chair that Kyuhyun had been holding onto.

 

Leeteuk glanced at the chair, before moving quickly to take a closer look.  

 

“Kangin, is it what I think it is?” Leeteuk whispered as he trailed his finger against the deep grooves that Kyuhyun’s nails had made into the wood.

 

Kangin glanced at the closed door of the office, and then to his mate that was still tracing the marks, before replying to him.

 

“Kyuhyun has found his mate.”

 

 

 

“The food here isn’t that bad, wanna know why? Because I helped cook it, along with an adorable man that knew Chinese, but he was mostly too shy to speak it.”

 

Donghae couldn’t help but turn from looking out of the window next to him to stare disbelievingly at the female as she rambled on about the man on the kitchen.

 

Where had his shy Victoria gone? The one who would tense at every footstep that passed the dressing room door? Where had she gone?

 

“What’s with that look?” she asks him suddenly that it catches Donghae off guard.

 

She uses those few seconds to slip onto the window seat with him, picking up the tray of food and placing it on her lap.

 

“I’m trying to figure out where the Victoria that I’ve grown to know over the past few days has disappeared to,” he tells her, and cocked an eyebrow when she rolled her eyes at him playfully.

 

“She’s right in front of you, silly.” She playfully chides him as she picks up the chopsticks to pluck a piece of meat from the bowl of stew and held it out towards Donghae.

 

When he didn’t budge, she narrowed her eyes, her playfulness gone.

 

“Eat, or I won’t tell you a little secret,” she threatens slightly, and Donghae quickly took the piece of meat into his mouth and chewed.

 

Victoria brightens at the action and fishes for another piece of meat. She had it waiting for him by the time Donghae swallowed.

 

This time it was Donghae who narrowed his eyes.

 

“Tell me the secret since I’ve already ate a piece,” he bargained with her.

 

“You’re like a child,” Victoria amusingly scoffed, and when Donghae opened his mouth to deny the statement, she shoved the meat into his open mouth.

 

He glowered at her whilst snatching the chopsticks from her and beginning to eat properly.

 

Victoria watched him eat a few mouthfuls before speaking.

 

“Do you know many werewolves like yourself?” she asks him carefully, and Donghae nearly bites his tongue instead of the meat at her words.

 

_Be careful this time._

 

Donghae swallowed the meat before taking a - what he hoped to be - causal sip of his water while using the extra seconds to organise his thoughts for the upcoming questions.

 

“I’ve met submissive wolves before,” he admits, “but only a small number. I wasn’t really around them long enough to get to know them.”

 

Donghae was telling the truth here; he was safe with this answer.

 

Victoria motioned for him to continue eating, and he did so whilst watching the thoughtfulness in her face.

 

He was slightly nervous of the questions she was going to ask and was trying to keep his mind occupied with something else.

 

Victoria let out a frustrated groan, and Donghae stopped slurping from his spoon.

 

“I dunno how to explain it, I only know so much.” She explains to him, but it only makes him confused.

 

“What?” he asks her, and she surprises him by sitting up straighter with determination glimmering in her eyes.

 

“Submissive wolfs - like us two, rather love than fight,” she begins to explain. “So we try to calm others by showing our weakness and unwillingness to engage in violence. This, as you know, calms the other person immediately and the threat is removed. Now, from what I know and have heard about, there are submissive wolves that carry a unique...talent?”

 

Victoria questions the last part more to herself, and before Donghae can offer a word in reply, she jumps straight back in.

 

“Some wolves can sense this talent or gift, whatever you want to call it, if they’ve encounter someone like that before. I was a small child when I first encountered someone like that,” she explains. “Although it was long ago, my wolf can still recognise it.”

 

Victoria pauses at the utter confusion on his face, and she lets out a small smile as she says the next few words, “I recognised it in you.”

 

To say that Donghae was even more confused would be an understatement.

 

His mind was processing what Victoria had told him, and while he got what she meant, he was having trouble in processing the part about _himself_.

 

“What do you mean ‘it’s in me’? How can I have that...talent?” he questions, baffled. “Victoria, I’m just someone who is submissive and has a fear of werewolves,” he whispers softly to her, dismissing her words, and when Victoria frowned, he realised he’d yet again revealed something he shouldn’t have.

 

Donghae immediately took special interest in eating the rest of his meal whilst ignoring the burning gaze from Victoria.

 

After a tense few minutes or so, Victoria spoke again, and Donghae was glad she didn’t comment on his slip of the tongue.

 

“The way I am now is because of you.” She surprises him yet again. “You’re able to calm my wolf when she’s in distress. You’ve been doing that to me for the past few days. That’s why I was able to stand up to our boss when you shifted, your fear helped pushed mine away instead of making it worse like it would’ve done if you were a normal submissive.”

 

The more Victoria spoke about it, the more it started to make sense.

 

Donghae suddenly wondered just how long he’s been like this.

 

“What can I do to stop it?” he asks her curiously, and when she shakes her head, his stomach felt like it had dropped out of him.

 

“You can’t stop it, just like how I can’t stop being a submissive,” she tells him. “You can limit the affect it has on others, but you have to learn how to be aware of your gift first.”

 

Victoria, sensing and seeing his confusion and distress, quickly moved the tray onto the floor and away from them before reaching over and hugging him.

 

“It’s nothing to be afraid of, Donghae; it’s just a part of you and your wolf that wishes for peace,” she soothes him with words that he himself has been using for the majority of his life.

 

_If we had known about this back then...would it have changed the way things are now? Or maybe it’s because of the way we are, that things are the way it is now._

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

 

 

 

 

Kyuhyun paused at the end of the corridor, which located all their bedrooms, and stared at the door that Victoria had closed behind her.

 

After he had given Donghae the food, he had left the other male to eat in peace. He had stayed outside the door for a little bit before going back in to see if he was done, but he saw that the tray of beef stew was still sitting exactly where he’d put it on the window seat along where Donghae was still sitting, gazing out of the window and looking out into the forest.

 

Before his wolf could voice its displeasure of the other male’s lack of eating, he backed out of the room and silently made his way down to the kitchen. Victoria was still in the kitchen along with Ryeowook and Yesung; Ryeowook was watching and copying Victoria’s hands as she moulded what appeared to be bread dough into a fancy shape.

 

Yesung glanced at Kyuhyun to acknowledge his presence before returning his gaze to watch Ryeowook attempting to copy the shape.

 

 Victoria was the second one to notice his presence, and frowned slightly at his empty hands.

 

“He’s not finished?” she asked him.

 

Kyuhyun walked around to the side of the kitchen island they were on and glanced at what they were making before answering her.

 

“He hasn’t even touched it,” he muttered while reaching out to pull Ryeowook’s dough into a better shape, only to have Yesung’s and Ryeowook’s hands slapping his away.

 

He narrowed his eyes slightly at Yesung, who in return glowered back at him.

 

“Let’s go feed Donghae, shall we?” Victoria spoke brightly as pushed her finished dough shape towards Ryeowook. “You’ve added an extra twist in the middle, that’s why it’s shorter. But other than that, you’ve done it perfectly!” she complimented Ryeowook who immediately flushed red at the compliment before thanking and bowing to her as she swept passed him.

 

Kyuhyun smirked at the jealously in Yesung’s eyes, and as he walked past the elder, he ruffled his hair before quickly darting ahead when Yesung moved to strike at him.

 

Kyuhyun took Victoria back to the room Donghae was in and with a small knock, she entered the bedroom.

 

Now, he was heading back down the stairs to annoy Yesung into doing some of his share of the paperwork. After that, he’d go looking for Sungmin to see if the elder had calmed down.

_So you’re just leaving him alone? He’s in a place that he doesn’t know and is terrified of the house occupants, and yet you’re walking away from him...I don’t think so._

Kyuhyun groaned painfully as his wolf shoved at him to get back up the stairs.

 

He grabbed at the dark, wooden stair railing and strained to push his body forwards again. His forehead scrunched tight with concentration, and he was dimly aware that the hand that was on the railing was leaving deep nail marks. 

 

Over the snarling of his wolf, he shouted to him. ‘ _I’m getting sick of you constantly demanding control! And I didn’t leave him alone! He has Victoria with him, a friend, someone whom he feels safe and secure with! He doesn’t know us, and he’s just as fearful towards us as he is with the rest of the house. So stop meddling with things that don’t concern us!’_

His wolf decided to reply back via force, and Kyuhyun found himself toppling down the stairs as he now fought back the shift that was in progress.

 

The noises that he was making physically, and mentally along with his wolf, summoned his pack members to him.

 

Leeteuk was the first one to burst into the front hallway, and the moment he saw Kyuhyun fighting his shift, crouched half on and half off the stairs, he slowed to a halt.

 

Hankyung was the next one to enter the scene, followed by the others.

 

“Yesung, I need you to get Ryeowook out of here, just in case.” Leeteuk ordered carefully, and watched as Yesung all but dragged the reluctant man back into the kitchen.

 

Heechul, Hankyung, and Zhou Mi watched Kyuhyun warily as the younger one struggled to control his wolf.

 

“There was no need for Yesung to have done that, I would never hurt Wookie.” Kyuhyun’s voice was a mixture of a growl and a pained groan, but his words were still understandable.

 

Heechul glanced to Leeteuk with a knowing look and the elder shook his head harshly while mouthing the word, “no.”

 

He glanced at Hankyung to see that the male was slowly edging towards the front door.

 

“Kyuhyun, I need you to stay in control long enough so that Hankyung can open the front door for you so that you can get into the forest.” Leeteuk hoped that his words would offer some comfort, but what he got in return was the sound of Kyuhyun’s work shirt ripping off his back as his shoulders hunched and rippled.

 

“Hurry!”

 

Leeteuk had barely heard Kyuhyun’s desperate whisper from where he was, but Hankyung was already darting towards the door and had it yanked open within a second of the whisper being spoken.

 

They all diverted their eyes away from Kyuhyun as he shoved himself from the stairs and towards the open door; all four of them making sure not to move in case it drew his wolf’s attention.

 

Just as Kyuhyun exited the house, a ball of suppressed anger coming from the kitchen hit into Leeteuk. He snapped his head towards the kitchen just as Sungmin came storming in, knocking Zhou Mi out of the way and causing Heechul and Hankyung to rush to him.

 

Leeteuk raced across the room to intercept the man.

 

“Sungmin, what’s wrong with you?!” Leeteuk made sure his voice was soft and calming despite his surprise, hoping that it would ease Sungmin, but Sungmin only shrugged off his grip on his arm.

 

“Which room is Donghae’s?” Sungmin demanded.

 

With those demanding words, the front door that Hankyung had partially closed behind Kyuhyun suddenly slammed open with a resounding bang, and Leeteuk found himself in between one slightly angry werewolf, and one furious and dangerous wolf.

 

The hallway was now bursting with growls of aggression and warning, which was coming from all the pack members as they faced off to the two threats that were in the room.

 

Heechul had shoved Hankyung and Zhou Mi up against the hallway wall near the kitchen door and was standing protectively in front of them, growling in warning, while Hankyung was shielding his brother and was also growling at the threat.

 

Leeteuk made his body still, and he watched the black wolf that had burst through the open front door and was now snarling and moving slowly towards him.

 

Leeteuk couldn’t submit to him, not when one of his pack members seemed to be in danger.

 

Leeteuk had called Kangin through their mated bond beforehand; but now he was repeatedly calling for the alpha’s assistance.

 

_The one time that Kangin had to leave the house would be the one time that all hell would break loose,_ Leeteuk fumes to himself as he watched Kyuhyun.

 

“Kyuhyun?” Sungmin questioned in confusion, and when the wolf snarled louder in reply, Leeteuk felt the other male’s hurt seep into him.

 

“Leeteuk, you better curb him before I do it myself,” Heechul called to him as he watched Kyuhyun stalking slowly towards the alpha’s mate.

 

At his words Kyuhyun snapped his jaws in Heechul’s direction, and Heechul snarled at him.

 

“Heechul, control your wolf,” Leeteuk snaps. “I’m already dealing with two angry werewolves; I don’t need yours joining as well.” Leeteuk ordered, and though he isn’t an alpha, he could use his status of being Kangin’s mate to put orders across. Though the command isn’t as strong and can easily be overruled if the other person wished to do so, but by doing so they’ll have to face Kangin’s wrath.

 

That’s why Leeteuk wasn’t ordering Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun’s wolf was far too close to the surface and he wouldn’t acknowledge any order from anyone unless it was his alpha.

 

“I need to protect Donghae....” Sungmin whispered suddenly and turned to charge up the stairs, the threat of Kyuhyun thrown away by the instinct to protect his baby brother.

 

“Sungmin, no!” Leeteuk shouted as he propelled himself after the man, just as a mass of snarling wolf started towards them.

 

Leeteuk smacked into Sungmin and both fell onto the stairs, both grunting as the stairs sharp edging made contact with their sides.

 

Leeteuk covered the younger man with his body as he turned to look over his shoulder.

 

He saw that Heechul and Hankyung had somehow managed to stop Kyuhyun from charging at Leeteuk and Sungmin. Heechul was using his body weight and strength to keep the younger one’s head and shoulders pinned to the wooden floor, while Hankyung wrestled to keep Kyuhyun from jack-knifing them off him.

 

Leeteuk thought back to the scene in the office from earlier, and wondered that if what he was about to say would either help calm Kyuhyun, or send him even more out of control.

 

He took a deep breath and made eye contact with Kyuhyun’s now golden ones.

 

Kyuhyun growled at the direct move, but Leeteuk didn’t flinch or remove eye contact.

 

“Donghae is safe; you know that Sungmin would never harm him. Calm your wolf by my words and by your trust and friendship with the older male,” Leeteuk says slowly and calmly.

 

Leeteuk saw the flash of brown sweeping away the gold in Kyuhyun’s eyes and felt relief sweep through him.

 

But his relief was short lived when Heechul grunted from Kyuhyun’s sudden jerk.

 

The jerk was enough for Heechul to lose his grip and for Hankyung to fly off the wolf’s back.

 

Heechul immediately went to his mate to insure that he was okay while Zhou Mi called out his brother’s name softly from where he was kneeling by the wall.

 

“Kyuhyun, I need you to win over your instinct. “Leeteuk tries again. “You both know that deep down Sungmin isn’t a threat, nobody here is a threat to you or your mate,” Leeteuk pleads with the wolf, and only realised his slip of tongue when he felt Sungmin stiffen underneath him.

 

He glanced down to see that the other male was staring at the wolf with eyes that weren’t his own no more.

 

Leeteuk felt his breath hitch at the sudden display and rare display of Sungmin’s wolf, and slowly moved to get off him, but froze at the thick, rumbling words that come from Sungmin.

 

“ _You’ve chosen our brother...as your mate_?” Sungmin’s wolf growls, and for the first time since entering the house, Kyuhyun froze.

 

Leeteuk felt his body go slack as the man underneath him gently moved him so that he was off him so that Sungmin could stand; all the while he kept his golden eyes on Kyuhyun’s now brown ones.

 

“ _We’ve just got him back, and you want to take him away from us_?” Sungmin’s wolf snarled, and Kyuhyun looked like he was trying to shake his head while his eyes kept flickering from brown to gold.

 

“No one is going to take him away from you, Sungmin,” a deep but commanding voice came from the still open front door.

 

Leeteuk was relieved to hear his mate’s voice and was comforted from the sight of the man.

 

Kangin slowly entered the hallway that held the extremely tense atmosphere, and after raking his eyes over Leeteuk and seeing no injuries, he focused his eyes onto the two werewolves that were causing the atmosphere.

 

“Kyuhyun, go into the forest and run the aggression from out of your system. Do not return until you have full control over yourself and your wolf. Understood?” Kangin ordered, and the youngest one nodded his head immediately in submission.

 

Kangin was about to address Sungmin when a soft voice full of fear called out to them.

 

“Don’t hurt him.”

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

 

 

 

“They said that they’d help me get back home.” Victoria was leaning against the window now with her head resting against Donghae’s shoulder.

 

They could hear faint voices from downstairs as the members of the household bickered about something, but it still made Donghae uneasy no matter how much Victoria reassured him.

 

A sudden bang made Donghae jump out of his skin, which caused Victoria to yelp from being smacked in the face by Donghae’s shoulder.

 

He would’ve turned to make sure she was okay, but he was frozen as he heard the furious sound of a wolf snarling from downstairs.

 

His heart began beating too hard and too fast inside his chest, his lungs hurt from the rapid, terrified breathes he began to make despite the attempts from Victoria trying to calm him down.

 

_We’re in danger, we need to run and hide._

Donghae whimpered as a massive shudder ran through his body as his wolf tried to force the shift on him. He grabbed the edge of the window seat and heard the wood creak before giving way in his hands.

 

“Donghae, look at me,” Victoria spoke sharply at him, and when he didn’t move his head fast enough, she grabbed his cheeks and whipped his head so that he was now staring into her determined eyes.

 

“Breathe with me; match your breathing with mine,” she directs him softly while exaggerating her movements as she breathed in deeply and calmingly before exhaling softly.

 

Donghae blocked the pulsing need to shift from his wolf and focused on Victoria’s calming eyes while matching his breathing to her own. When the need dimmed, and his wolf had calmed down, he was able to relax his tensed muscles.

 

“Are you okay now?” she whispered, and Donghae nodded, grateful for her help in calming his wolf.

 

“Thank you, I was just startled by the noise, so when I heard the snarling, I panicked.” Donghae explained and stared sheepishly at the broken pieces of the window seat in his hands.

 

“Now if that had happened with two regular submissive wolves, we’d both be shedding fur right now.” Victoria laughs softly. “But, because of what you are, you pushed my panic away so I was able to concentrate on helping you,” Victoria explained, and Donghae flushed a tiny bit as he yet again unconsciously released whatever he had onto Victoria.

 

He was about to apologise to her when a man’s voice shouted two words that were filled with panic.

 

“Sungmin, no!”

 

The panic that Donghae had just dissipated beforehand returned with a vengeance as the words smashed into him.

 

Before he even realised what he was doing, he was darting across the room and he almost slammed into the door in his haste.

 

He was wrestling with his shaking, panicky hands to get a grip onto the handle when Victoria’s weight hit him from behind.

 

He cried out as she tried to pull him away from the door, and he desperately fought her hands off him.

 

His instinct to protect his brother kept him driving forwards, fighting her.

 

“No, Donghae! It’s not safe!” she screams desperately at him.

 

They both struggled for a few minutes, Victoria pleading with Donghae to stop while Donghae was demanding her to let him go.

 

Donghae then remembered the fighting techniques that Eunhyuk had taught him, and he made his body go limp so that Victoria had to release her grip on him in order to get a better one. He used that moment to slip from her arms and accidently knocked her off balance before running for the door once again, and this time he managed to succeed in opening it.

 

He ran as silent as he could down the corridor until he hit the landing, where he promptly froze.

 

The tension in the air was so thick that he felt like he could wrap it around him like a blanket.

 

He immediately took in the scene that he was looking at from over the landing banister.

 

There was a man, which he recognised to be Zhou Mi, kneeling against the wall that was beside the kitchen door and he was holding his right shoulder, but Zhou Mi’s attention wasn’t on his apparent injury, but on the two men that were slightly away from him, and one of the males was slightly lying on the floor whilst cradling his left wrist.

 

Donghae couldn’t see much of the male because he was being covered by another male that had brown but not quite shoulder length hair. He had an arm holding up the injured man, but his focus was on the middle of the room, and Donghae could see why.

 

In the middle of the hallway, a black wolf was half crouched and rigid as he faced the direction of the stairs.

 

Donghae felt his stomach drop at the sight of his brother lying awkwardly on the stairs with another male covering his body. The male, he remembered, was Leeteuk.

 

“Kyuhyun, I need you to win over your instinct.” Donghae heard Leeteuk speak, and the image of the man that had given him his food earlier appeared in his mind.

 

Donghae stared at the black wolf, and briefly wondered if it was Leeteuk’s next words that he said was the reason why his wolf nudged him forward, or was it the moment when he first saw the gold in Kyuhyun’s eyes.

 

“You both know that deep down Sungmin isn’t a threat. Nobody here is a threat to you or your mate,” Leeteuk pleaded with the wolf, and Donghae dazedly missed everyone’s reaction to the word ‘mate’.

 

He didn’t even react to the word himself because his focus was drawn to his brother who had begun to speak.

 

“ _You’ve chosen our brother...as your mate_?” Sungmin’s voice was different, and it made Donghae frown as he tried to place the tone he was hearing.

 

He watched as Sungmin gently moved Leeteuk off him, and Donghae felt a soft brush of a hand against his own and reached out to grab it.

 

He felt Victoria squeeze in reassurance as they both watched Sungmin rise up off the steps, and the stillness of the black wolf.

 

His brother’s broad back was tense, and Donghae could feel the tendrils of anger coming from the male.

 

_Our brother’s wolf is here,_ his wolf whispers to him, and Donghae watched in awe as his brother stepped down the stairs slowly.

 

Never in the time he and Eunhyuk had spent with Sungmin did they ever sense or see their brother’s wolf.

 

They learned in time that their brother was different; he was born with inability to own a wolf, but he had less strength of a regular werewolf, but his hearing and senses were just as normal for a werewolf.

 

It seemed that their parents were greatly wrong about that as Donghae’s wolf whined for its sibling.

 

“ _We’ve just got him back and you want to take him away from us_?” Sungmin’s wolf snarls at the black wolf, and it looked Kyuhyun was trying to shake his head, but Donghae noticed that the wolf’s eyes kept flickering from brown to gold.

 

When Sungmin’s words were finally processed through his brain, Donghae went to run towards his brother, but the sudden tug from Victoria kept him still.

 

He turned to tell her to let go, but her desperate pointing towards the door cut him off.

 

“No one is going to take him away from you, Sungmin.” A deep, but commanding voice came from the open front door.

 

Donghae watched as the alpha entered the house and dropped his eyes at the anger blazing in the male’s eyes.

 

“Kyuhyun, go into the forest and run the aggression from out of your system. Do not return until you have full control over yourself and your wolf. Understood?” Kangin ordered, and the wolf nodded its head immediately in submission.

 

Donghae was suddenly afraid for his brother as he watched the alpha turn his attention to him.

 

He couldn’t see his brother get hurt, he had to do something.

 

He let go of Victoria’s hand and rushed to the start of the stairs.

 

Just as Kangin was about to speak, he called out to him.

 

“Don’t hurt him,” he pleaded softly, and Donghae watched with fear in his heart as he gained the attention of everybody in the room.

 

He took a small step down the stairs and called out again, this time looking at Kangin.

 

“Please, don’t hurt my brother,” he begged the older male, and he could feel the tears beginning to well up at the images of his brother being punished.

 

Kangin was staring at him with shock along with Leeteuk and Sungmin. Sungmin’s eyes, Donghae noticed, were gold as he stared at him, and Donghae followed his wolf’s desire to join his sibling.

 

His rushed movement was a mistake that seemed to speed up time.

 

A mixture of names was suddenly yelled as he moved towards his brother.

 

He heard the shrill voice of Victoria screaming his name and Kangin’s deafening shout. He had only taken two steps down when two weights collided with him, one from behind and the other from the front.

 

His brain scrambled to take in the situation as he felt Victoria trying to drag him back up the stairs while Sungmin shoved him backwards too.

 

Sungmin’s sudden shove knocked both Donghae and Victoria off balance and they fell down to sit awkwardly on the stairs.

 

He then took notice of the snarling and growling that was assaulting his ears.

 

Sungmin was crouched a few steps down from Donghae and was growling in warning. When Donghae looked past his brother and saw the reason why, it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him when he caught the gaze of the black wolf’s golden eyes staring at him.

 

The wolf was slowly edging up the stairs, and with the continued advancement from the wolf, the louder and more aggressive Sungmin’s growl became.

 

“Sungmin, stop, you’re making him worse by doing what you’re doing,” Kangin’s voice was low and calm, unlike the current situation, as he tried to make him see past his anger.

 

Sungmin shook his head vigorously. “You want me to stop protecting my brother from a mad wolf?!” he demanded.

 

“You’re stopping him from protecting his mate; your anger isn’t helping the situation either,” Kangin patiently explained whilst moving slowly towards where Leeteuk had rushed to in a bid to get out of Kyuhyun’s way, and slowly felt the other’s body for hidden injuries.

 

Sungmin’s growl turned into a vicious snarl. “Donghae is not his mate!” he spat.

 

Donghae hadn’t removed his eyes once from the golden ones since he saw the wolf coming up the stairs. He felt his wolf stir at the words from his brother, just as a strange feeling began to grow inside of him.

 

“It’s okay; he’s not going to hurt me,” he spoke softly as he kept eye contact with the wolf, and a sense of calm travelled through him, comforting him.

 

Victoria sighed peacefully from behind him, and he noticed the tension in his brother’s shoulders slacken.

 

Donghae sighed in frustration. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” he questioned.

 

“You’re calming us, if that’s what you mean.” The alpha spoke gently, and Donghae hung his head as Sungmin eased down to sit in front of him instead of crouching.

 

“Kyuhyun, go.” Kangin order softly, and it was awhile before Donghae heard the sound of the dull thud of the wolf’s paws running out of the house.

 

It was silent for a few minutes as the atmosphere returned to its original state, before a male’s voice suddenly demanded, “What the hell is going on?”

 

 

 

Kyuhyun sprinted through the now dark forest. Birds flew away at the sound of his paws pounding into the earth while small animals scurried into small alcoves to escape his path.

 

He darted between the thick trees while using his lingering aggression to aid his agility and speed.

 

But no matter how fast he ran, or how quick he turned, he couldn’t escape the battle going on inside his head.

 

_Why can’t you accept it?_ His wolf was growling at him in anger, an anger that Kyuhyun was desperately trying to get rid of.

 

Kyuhyun launched himself over a fallen tree, and had to quickly dart and jump over the sudden dip that was behind it. He paused to get his bearings, and realised that he was almost near the boundary line of where the forest began to grow thin as the city became closer.

 

A twig snapped to the left of him, and when he glanced towards the sound, he saw a rabbit still.

 

Kyuhyun watched as the little brown rabbit’s nose twitched repeatedly, and listened to the sound of its little heart pounding in fear.

 

Kyuhyun snorted gently and the rabbit took off.

 

He listened to it as it travelled away from him and ignored the way his wolf was demanding his attention.

 

He concentrated, and he could faintly smell the city, even though it was still a quite a bit away.

 

_Are you going to listen to me?_ His wolf growled to him.

 

_Are you going to calm down anytime soon so that we can go back home?_ He asked in a bored tone, and suddenly found himself sitting rather than standing.

 

He glowered at his wolf at the action and waited for the animal to no doubt start growling at him again.

 

_You can’t run from this, Kyuhyun. No matter how much you want to, you can’t. For one, I wouldn’t let you, and two, I don’t think you could actually go through it._ Kyuhyun was surprised to hear his wolf softly speak to him. For the past few days, all they’ve done was argue with each other, and now that he was hearing his wolf speaking normally to him, it caught him off guard. 

 

_I can understand that you’re scared. This is a massive thing for the both of us... I don’t like the idea, but I’ll back off for now so that you can have room to think. I’ve accepted it; you just need to do the same._

Kyuhyun felt his wolf retreat from him, and for one split second he panicked at the sudden emptiness inside his mind.

 

_I’m still here, don’t panic,_ it assures him _. Remember, you can’t lose me, idiot. I’m a part of you._ His wolf’s voice was faint and Kyuhyun shoved a nudge in the direction of the voice.

_If I’m an idiot then so are you since you’re a part of me,_ Kyuhyun softly retorts, and if he could, he would’ve smiled at the gentle shove his wolf gave him as he got back onto his feet.

_Let’s go home._

 Kyuhyun obeyed his wolf’s words, and turned and started to sprint lightly home. 

 

 

 

“Ouch!” Zhou Mi painfully exclaimed as Kibum rotated his injured shoulder.

 

Donghae watched from where he was sitting at the small table in the kitchen as Heechul started to rise from his seat at the kitchens island before being yanked down by Hankyung’s un-bandaged hand, before hitting the back of Heechul’s head softly.

 

“What was that for?” he growled softly at Hankyung, who in return rolled his eyes at his mate’s behaviour while saying, “you know what it was for, now behave yourself.”

 

Donghae turned his back on the two older males’ playful argument, and watched from across the table as the human male named Kibum finish wrapping Zhou Mi’s bruised shoulder.

 

He learnt that Sungmin had shoved Zhou Mi hard enough in the back to cause the male some pain.

 

He glanced at his brother who was now hovering near Kibum with a face full of worry. Sungmin had finished wrapping Hankyung’s sprained wrist, which he had got when Kyuhyun had bucked him off him and he landed wrong on his wrist.

 

“I’m so sorry, Mi. I didn’t mean to do it on purpose!” his brother apologised to the male who just laughed while flapping a hand at him.

 

“I know, Min. It’s okay; no broken bones, thank god,” the male laughs. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so forgiving towards you.”

 

Donghae didn’t know if the male was joking towards the end or not.

 

“Err, Donghae? My neck isn’t my cheek.” Victoria pointed out, and he realised that the ice pack that he had insisted on holding for her was indeed against her neck.

 

He blushed and apologised before moving his hand back to her bruised cheek from where he had accidently hit her.

 

“You suck as a nurse,” Victoria sighed before swatting his hand away.

 

“How are you doing, Donghae?” Leeteuk asked him as he entered the kitchen through the door that lead into the foyer.

 

Donghae stared at him in confusion, and Leeteuk subtly pointed to the room full of werewolves. Donghae smiled a - what he hoped to be - comfortable smile at Leeteuk, who smiled in return as he passed by the table, heading for where his mate was standing and looking out of the windows.

 

Donghae watched as Leeteuk wrapped his arms around Kangin’s waist and rested his head on the male’s broad shoulder. They spoke quietly so Donghae was unable to pick up what they were saying, but he had a good guess on who they were talking about.  

 

After Kyuhyun had left the house, Heechul had demanded to know what was going on. An hour later, and everyone was up to date with regards of who Donghae was to Sungmin, and now to Kyuhyun it seemed, though the last part didn’t get discussed as much because Sungmin ordered the subject to be closed. 

 

Sungmin was now trying to converse with Zhou Mi and Victoria in Chinese, much to their amusement.

 

The chair on the other side of Donghae scraped along the floor and he glanced to see Kibum sitting down next to him. He smiled welcomingly at the human, and recognised the scent from the bag of clothes that Zhou Mi had given him earlier.

 

“We haven’t been properly introduced yet, I’m Kibum, and as you can tell I’m a doctor, just like your brother.” Kibum held his hand out and Donghae eagerly took it while gaping at the new information.

 

“He’s a doctor?” Donghae whispers and Kibum chuckles quietly at the awe in the older males face.

 

“He helps me run a clinic that’s for both humans and werewolves. He naturally takes care of the werewolves, but since your abilities make it harder for you to get sick, he becomes my assistant in my human cases,” Kibum explained, and Donghae soaked up all this new information, ready to share for when he’d ring Eunhyuk later on.

 

They both watched Sungmin, and Donghae smiled at his big brother’s flustered actions and laughed along with the other two when Sungmin reluctantly reverted back to Korean.

 

Donghae noticed that Kibum was smiling fondly at his brother and started to wonder.

 

_Slow down, boy. You don’t even know if they like each other in that way,_ his wolf scolded him.

 

“I’m glad he’s back to normal,” Kibum whispered, and that dragged Donghae’s attention away from his wolf.

 

“What do you mean?” Donghae whispered back, his heart was already in his throat while he waited for Kibum to explain.

 

“A couple of weeks ago he disappeared into himself.” Kibum glanced at Donghae sadly before continuing. “On the day that you and your twin were supposed to have died on, he lost control of his grief for you two. We didn’t know that you two even existed until you came here today; we understood that it involved his family, but he said nothing more about it. It’s only been a few days since he came back, and that was due to the help of Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun.”

 

Donghae stomach flipped at Kyuhyun’s name.

 

“I’m glad that Sungmin doesn’t have to suffer no more,” Kibum continued, and laughed loudly at something that Donghae had missed being said.

 

Donghae glanced to see that Zhou Mi was red in the face and was speaking in rapid Chinese; Victoria was fanning her face as she struggled to stop laughing while Sungmin laughed victoriously.

 

Completely lost, Donghae almost jumped off his seat when Zhou Mi darted out of his own, his target was Sungmin whom promptly took off across the kitchen to escape the thin, gangly man.

 

“Hey! What are you two doing?” Leeteuk called out as he noticed the scene from behind him.

 

Zhou Mi barked out something in Chinese as Sungmin ran to the opposite side of the island with Zhou Mi racing to follow him.

 

“Korean please, Zhou Mi.” Leeteuk sighed helplessly as he watched his members act like children.

 

Just as Sungmin went to run past Heechul and Hankyung, Hankyung effortlessly grabbed a hold of Sungmin’s shirt and brought him to a stop. Everyone in the room couldn’t help but laugh at the childishness of the situation as Sungmin pleaded with Hankyung to let him go, who just smirked and held him while his brother stalked slowly towards Sungmin.

 

“You see, everything is back to normal,” Kibum whispered to Donghae, just as the backdoor opened to reveal a half naked Kyuhyun.

 

Donghae froze at the sight of the male, as did everyone else.

 

The atmosphere immediately became tense, and Donghae saw the effect it had on Kyuhyun.

 

The younger male seemed to droop at the tension, and something in Donghae didn’t like seeing that in the other male.

 

Kyuhyun sighed before muttering, “I wonder how long it’s going to take for that to stop,” while he closed the door behind him.

 

Kyuhyun started towards Donghae’s direction, and without Donghae realising it, the closer that Kyuhyun got to him, the more his body seemed to turn limp and his head tilted slightly down.

 

“Donghae?” Victoria whispered his name in question as she noticed his actions, which made him aware of what he was doing.

 

Donghae snapped his head up and met the brown eyes of Kyuhyun who had paused near the table. He noticed the darkness underneath the eyes that were trying to shield whatever the other male was feeling, the other’s skin was glistening with the sweat from reverting back to human form, and Donghae felt like the male’s distinct smell was bombarding his nose.

 

Kyuhyun’s voice snapped him out of his daze.

 

“It’s okay, I’m in control,” Kyuhyun spoke gently, and Donghae briefly wondered if he was speaking to him or to everyone in the room.

 

Kyuhyun moved from the table and exited the room, leaving Donghae’s eyes fixed on spot that the male had just been standing in.

 

 

 

Sungmin watched the door swing shut while contemplating his next move. He knew that what he was planning on doing next could end in two different ways.  He just had to figure out which ending he wanted.

 

He glanced to stare at his little brother, who was staring transfixed at the spot Kyuhyun had just been standing in, and knew which ending he was going for.

 

“Sungmin,” Kangin’s voice held a warning as he stepped out of Hankyung’s now loose grip and headed for the same door.

 

“Hyung?” Donghae called for him as he rose from his chair, and Sungmin shook his head and motioned for the other to sit.

 

“Trust me, okay? And get some rest, your colouring is off,” Sungmin says softly, before turning his back and pushing through the kitchen door.

 

As he took the stairs quietly, he wondered if he was about to do the right thing. He thought back to the moment in the kitchen when Kyuhyun and Donghae had stared at one another, like it was only those two in the room.

 

_Are you sure about this?_ His wolf questioned faintly.

 

 Sungmin glanced at the deep, long grooves in the banister, and ran a finger along the length as he passed.

 

He knew he had chosen the right decision.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

 

 

 

 

 

Kyuhyun hissed as the scalding water hit his still sensitive skin of his back, the ache in his muscles quieting for the moment as the water eased down his body, washing away the dirt from the forest.

 

He rested his head against the cool tile and wished that it was only just as easy to wash his worries away.

 

_Just accept it,_ his wolf whispered faintly, and Kyuhyun scowled at the white tile in front of his face.

 

“I thought you were backing off to let me think?” he asked and felt his wolf shuffle further away from him.

 

_It was just a suggestion._

Kyuhyun sighed and quickly finished his shower, even though he didn’t want to, he had to face the trails of mess he had created.

 

He was rubbing his hair dry when he heard the soft click of his bedroom door opening. He stilled and listened as the door slowly opened and his visitor stepped quietly into the room.

 

He sniffed the air, hoping to at least smell a trace of his visitor, but all he could smell was his shampoo and shower gel permitting the small bathroom.

 

Warily, he edged towards the door and grasped the handle.

 

_Whatever happens next, you need to let me deal with it, okay?_ He warns his wolf, and it in turn gives him a small disgruntled whine.

 

_Just as long as you’re not in danger, then I’ll stay away._

 

Kyuhyun prepared himself and opened the door.

 

He didn’t know if he should be relieved or wary to know that it was Sungmin who was in his room. The elder was leaning against the closed bedroom door, and Kyuhyun wondered if he was doing it on purpose to show that Kyuhyun had no escape.

 

Kyuhyun also wondered where he stood with the other male now after the recent revelation.

 

“Min...” Kyuhyun pathetically began, and was glad when Sungmin cut him off.

 

“Sit on the bed,” Sungmin ordered lightly, and Kyuhyun stared at the man with growing suspicion.

 

When Kyuhyun didn’t move to follow the order, Sungmin pushed off the door and headed towards him.

 

Kyuhyun backtracked to get away from the fast approaching man when Sungmin growled in frustration.

 

“Stop it, idiot, you’re injured.” Sungmin points to the right side of his hip, where Kyuhyun had been shielding it from the other male.

 

Kyuhyun paused. “How did you know?” he asked as he reluctantly headed for his bed. He thought he had been careful enough to have hidden it when he entered the kitchen; he’d made sure to keep his right side hidden from view.

 

Sungmin followed him, and Kyuhyun noticed the latex gloves, antiseptic spray, and bandages the other held in his hands.

 

“The smell of blood was one thing,” Sungmin flippantly said as he sat down behind Kyuhyun and snapped on his gloves, and Kyuhyun resisted the urge to tense. “The other being you winced when you left the room, betraying the illusion that you had a minor scrape that we all believed you had since it’s easily done.”

 

Kyuhyun scowled and jumped when Sungmin touched his right hip.

 

“Stay still,” was all Sungmin said as he examined the injury.

 

Kyuhyun was rigid as he let the male examine him, his thoughts racing through his mind in confusion.

 

“I thought you were angry at me?” he carefully asked, before jolting and hissing at the sharp sting as Sungmin applied the antiseptic spray.

 

There was a pause as Sungmin blew softly on his pain-induced tingling before applying the bandage he’d brought with him.

 

“As much as I want to be angry with you, you’re still my best friend,” Sungmin says softly, and Kyuhyun sagged with relief at his words.

 

“I thought I lost that honour the moment you learned of...well, you know...” he trailed off and felt the stare of Sungmin’s burning into his back.

 

“You haven’t accepted it, have you?” Sungmin asked, and Kyuhyun was instantly cautious at the slight tone in the other’s voice.

 

He moved, ignoring the twinge in his hip while doing so, to read the other male’s posture.

 

Sungmin looked like he was relaxed, but Kyuhyun knew the elder to well. He took in the slight tension in Sungmin’s arms as he braced himself for Kyuhyun’s reply, his eyes were trained on Kyuhyun’s, reading everything that flickered through him.

 

Kyuhyun dropped his head.

 

Sungmin was instantly off the bed and pacing the middle of his room.

 

Kyuhyun tilted his head so he could watch the other, and prepared himself for the words his friend was no doubt about to dig into him.

 

“When we heard that you claimed that Donghae was your mate, we denied it,” Sungmin begins, almost agitatedly. “But then we registered the way you were acting, to protect your property – your ‘mate’ – from us, who in return were trying to protect him from _you_. You made us lose control by making us fear of losing our brother again.”

 

Sungmin stopped and sighed deeply. “I wanted to kill you, Kyuhyun. The panic and anger brought forward a desire, a need, which I’ve never felt before,” Sungmin admits, and Kyuhyun swallows at the admission as well as the shakiness in the other’s voice.

 

“I didn’t want to believe it, but when it came up in discussion earlier, I shut it down because I didn’t want to have Donghae deal with it.” Sungmin sank to sit on the rug and Kyuhyun straightened at the movement. “I look at my brother and I see someone who has been scared for a long time,” Sungmin whispers, torn. “It’s made him look so frail that I don’t want him to have to deal with this as well as all the other things I have yet to learn about him and his twin.”

 

Kyuhyun slipped off the bed to sit on the floor, but not going to the male yet since he wasn’t finished.

 

“Then I saw the way he looked at you,” Sungmin murmurs, and Kyuhyun stiffens, his heart slowly began to race as he waits for Sungmin to continue.

 

“He looked so...comforted,” Sungmin says, confusion and slight wonder in his tone, “which is bizarre because - just beforehand - he was being unconsciously submissive to your presence. But one he met your eyes, whether he realised it or not, he changed.”

 

Kyuhyun crawled to Sungmin and wrapped his arms around the shaking man. Sungmin immediately accepted the hug and shuffled closer into it.

 

They sat like that for awhile until Sungmin had gained control of his emotions and he gently pushed Kyuhyun away. He stood and helped Kyuhyun stand, even though he didn’t need the help, before nodding his head towards his door.

 

“I better go and make sure that Donghae is okay, he’s still a bit tense to be around everyone.” Kyuhyun nods in understanding and watches as Sungmin moves towards his door, before turning away.

 

He hears the click of the door opening, and glanced back curiously when he didn’t hear it close.

 

“Min?” he questioned the male who was standing halfway out of the door.

 

“Just...don’t hurt him, Kyu,” Sungmin whispers, and the door closed behind him before Kyuhyun could even reply.

 

Kyuhyun stares at the door as if it would give him the answers he desperately needed.

 

_You already know the answer, what else do you need?_

Kyuhyun sank to the floor and gripped his hair in frustration. What he didn’t need was to cause his best friend unnecessary pain, what he didn’t need was to cause harm to his pack members.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and winced at his wolf’s deafening anguished cry.

 

What he didn’t need, and he was going to prove it, was Donghae.

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

 

 

 

 

_He hated this house._

_They’d moved from his birth home when they were young, just after the death of his beloved hyung. He can still remember his older brother’s scent, the sound of his voice when he called their names, the way his eyes would brighten whenever he saw him and his twin._

_He loved them, they understood that clearly. Not a day went by when he didn’t voice his love for them._

_He remembers not seeing his brother in the mornings as they woke up to start the day. His usual method of waking them up was by brushing their cheeks softly, before he would gently tap to wake them up. The way he would dress him and Hyukie in the same clothes, even though they hated it, they loved seeing their brother smile at the sight of them looking almost identical._

_The times he would cave when Hyukie wanted strawberry milk just before dinner, even though it was strictly against the rules, he would sneak into their room with a carton of strawberry and chocolate milk for them and a regular glass of milk for himself._

_He would lie with them in their shared bed at night and sing softly to them as they drifted off to sleep; they would never be fully asleep until he stopped his singing to kiss them both goodnight, then they could sleep peacefully._

_All of that has vanished with his death._

_Now, it was just him and Hyukie and, unfortunately, his parents. Other fourteen year olds would claim to hate their parents because they couldn’t get what they wanted. But he and his brother vehemently hated their parents._

_They moved them from a nice home in the city to an isolated community halfway down the country. They moved them far away from the grave of their brother; the only thing that they have left to remember him by is their memories. Memories of his brother holding them tightly when their parents would come bursting home in the dead of the night after working away on pack duties._

_He vaguely understood back then that the pack they lived with wasn’t a very nice one. He and Hyukie would often hear his brother fighting outside their home with their supposed ‘family’ members, and they would watch and cried helplessly as they saw their brother desperately fight them._

_He didn’t know why they always targeted their brother. He still doesn’t know now._

_When they moved, he and his twin both thought that they would never have to see those members again, only to realise that they’d definitely see them again, only this time instead of just four of them, there were groups of them._

_He knew growing up he was different from others. Their parents had made sure to make them both aware that they were werewolves, not humans like their neighbours, and that was one of the reasons why they’d moved, so they could be closer to the pack._

_As he grew, he learned that the pack he was apart of was a lot closer to their wolf side than their human one._

_“Hae?” Eunhyuk groaned groggily from the bed that he was forced to stay in._

_Donghae turned from where he was looking out of Eunhyuk’s bedroom window to glance at his twin. Their parents had forced them to stay in separate rooms when they turned ten; they’d fought at first, but quickly gave up when their father started to fight back._

_He didn’t like the idea of his sons sharing the same room no longer._

_Donghae quietly shuffled to him and sat on the edge of the bed, before grasping the other’s reaching hand._

_He raked his eyes over the flushed body of his twin, and swallowed as he caught the violent muscle spasm in the other’s arm. He felt Eunhyuk grip his hand tightly before jerking off the bed as the spasm travelled to his back._

_“You need to take the tablets, Hyukie; mother said you’re not ready to shift yet,” Donghae pleads as he soothingly rubbed the other’s arms and shoulders._

_“I’m not taking them,” Eunhyuk grunted out as Donghae felt his muscles contract and release repeatedly._

_“Stop being stupid, Hyukie! I hate seeing you like this,” Donghae cried angrily at him and wrenched his hand from his twin._

_He refused to allow his body to move when he heard Eunhyuk’s pained moan, and the bed springs squeak. He tightened his fists into balls and brought them to his eyes to stop the tears that wanted to spill._

_“I’m scared, Donghae,” came Eunhyuk’s broken whisper from behind him, and Donghae couldn’t stop himself from turning and grabbing his brother’s hand once again._

_“It’s natural to be scared, Hyukie, your body is changing into a different form. We may have been prepared for it, but it doesn’t make it any less scary,” he comforts him and brushes the stray tear that had escaped his brother’s eye._

_“No, Hae,” Eunhyuk stresses. “I mean, I’m scared for you.”_

_Donghae frowns at his brother’s words._

_“Why?” he asks warily, and ignores his brother’s protests as he grabbed the bottle of blue pills his mother had left on the bedside table along with a bottle of water._

_“If I take those tablets, I can’t be here with you!” he groaned desperately as another spasm rocked through his body, before adding breathlessly, “I can’t protect you.”_

_Donghae swallowed the lump that came from his twin’s words, and grabbed both of his twin’s hands and stared into his eyes with determination._

_“You’ve looked out for me for all of these years, now let me do it for you.” They stare at each other for a few minutes, before Donghae sags in relief when Eunhyuk finally relented._

_“I swear to god, Hae, you better be careful,” Eunhyuk whispered as he watched him open the bottle and tipped out two pills._

_He helped Eunhyuk sit up slightly so he could swallow the now warm water with the pills, before helping him gently lie down again._

_He stroked his cheek, just like how their brother used to, and watched as the tablets worked their way through his system._

_Eunhyuk’s whole body seemed to relax at once, and his breathing wasn’t has laboured as it had been. He watched as Eunhyuk fought to keep his eyes open, and laughed softly._

_“Stop fighting it and just rest,” he whispers, and felt the grip on his hand slacken._

_“Be...careful,” his brother whispered before he finally stopped fighting the drug, and his eyes shut in peacefulness._

_Donghae watched his brother sleep for awhile before forcing himself to leave the room._

_As he quietly shut the door behind him, he made sure to lock it with the key he and Eunhyuk had installed to the door._

_He took a deep breath while trying to control the pounding in his chest, and pushed away from the door and headed down the stairs of the dark, quiet house._

_The house was a lot bigger than their old one, and it always put Donghae on edge._

_He stopped and listened at the bottom of the stairs. He could hear the low shouts of some of the pack members shouting outside, and he made a note of staying away from the windows._

_He knew all too well of the scene he would see if he looked._

_He moved slowly towards the kitchen, and sighed in relief to find that it was empty._

_Just because he couldn’t hear anything, doesn’t always mean nothing is there, especially in terms of this pack._

_They loved to sneak and stalk, which was why Donghae hated this house._

_He crossed the room and opened the refrigerator enough to grab a fresh bottle of water. He closed it whilst taking a deep drink of it, the water chilling him all the way down to his stomach._

_While drinking he noticed the faint beeping of the answer machine._

_Frowning at missing the sound earlier, he headed back towards the stairs and walked in to the living room while looking around the dark room for the red flashing light._

_He spun the entire span of the room and frowned even further when he didn’t see the flashing._

_The beeping stopped, and turned into a snicker._

_Donghae froze._

_The lights flashed on and he hissed as it pierced his eyes. He blinked dazedly towards the direction of the snicker and felt the water he’d just drank make its way back up._

_He could feel the dominance rolling off the youths, and felt his heart sink sadly as he knew what was coming._

_One of them stepped towards him, while one of the other youths left the room._

_Eunhyuk immediately popped into his mind and he rushed to stop the male, only to drop to the ground at the growl of their leader._

_“Don’t worry, Donghae; it’s just you who we’ve come to play with since Eunhyuk is too weak to.” The youth that stayed behind laughed, and Donghae swallowed repeatedly to keep the water down._

_The leader crouched down so he could stare into Donghae’s scared eyes, and smiled at him in mock reassurance._

_“I knew he was a submissive, but this is a whole new level,” the youth stated as he leaned to look closer as Donghae trembled with fear on the floor._

_Donghae would’ve screamed for help, but he knew no-one would come. If anything, it would only bring more, and he couldn’t risk Eunhyuk being in danger._

_“This is going to be fun.”_


	15. Chapter 15

For the second time that week, Kyuhyun woke up to someone screaming.

 

He instinctively raced from his room and towards the room that held the screaming.

 

He shoved the door open and froze as the smell of the occupant’s room finally hit him. He watched as Donghae’s form thrashed against the covers as he screamed in terror.

 

_Go to him now!_ His wolf roared and shoved him forwards, just as Sungmin raced into the room, pushing Kyuhyun out of the way.

 

“Hae?!” Sungmin yelled and threw the covers off his brother’s form.

 

Kyuhyun watched as Sungmin flung himself onto the bed, just like how he had done to him a few nights ago.

 

Sungmin grabbed the flaying hands and struggled to contain the thrashing as Donghae stopped screaming, and was now whimpering as he struggled to escape whatever he was dreaming from.

 

Leeteuk raced into the room with Kibum hot at his heels, and they both helped Sungmin try to calm his brother.

 

“Do you have any idea what might have caused this?” Leeteuk asked Sungmin as he took over from Sungmin to hold the other’s wrists.

 

The other shook his head helplessly. “I haven’t had the chance to speak with him properly, so I’m still in the dark about how he’s been living up till now,” Sungmin says shakily as he took his brother’s face in his hands and brushed his thumbs soothingly across the other’s cheeks.

 

“Donghae? It’s Min, please wake up.” The older male soothes in a pleading tone. “If you can hear me, then you can escape whatever it is you’re dreaming from. Come on, Hae, wake up for me.”

 

As Sungmin pleaded for the male to wake up, Kibum noticed Kyuhyun standing off to the side, watching them.

 

“Kyuhyun?” he called in confusion as to why the other wasn’t helping them. He quickly caught Leeteuk who had lost his balance from one of Donghae’s rough tugs.

 

Leeteuk looked up from Donghae to find the younger male, only to see no-one else in the room.

 

“Erm...Kibum?” Leeteuk questioned, which caused the male to glance at him, noticing his confused gaze, he followed it.

 

“He was standing there just a second ago.” Kibum stared at the spot he had seen the male, and frowned at the sudden disappearing act.

 

“Donghae?” Sungmin suddenly exclaimed, and both Leeteuk and Kibum snapped their attention back to the male who was now staring up at them with wide, unfocused, and terrified eyes.

 

“Please,” the other whimpered in fear, and Sungmin was at a lost at what to do, and his eyes pleaded for them to help.

 

“Donghae, it’s Kibum, do you remember me from when we spoke earlier?” Kibum’s voice was calm and encouraging, as if he was speaking to one of his patient’s.

 

Kibum motioned for Leeteuk and Sungmin to back off and let go of the male, and as soon as they’d done that, Donghae relaxed.

 

“You’re in Sungmin’s home now, and he’s with us, along with Leeteuk. Do you remember him too?” As Kibum speaks gently, he sees the fear disappear and the focus slowly came back into the male’s eyes.

 

The dream he just had, finally leaving him.

 

“Min?” Donghae asked weakly and looked for his brother, and Sungmin was instantly on him, holding the younger male tightly to him.

 

“I’m right here; I’m not going to leave you,” he promises, and sighs when he feels the tension in the other leave him.

 

Leeteuk and Kibum backed away from the brothers, and edged towards the door.

 

Sungmin noticed and he mouthed his thanks to them. They both smiled softly as they watched Sungmin lay down beside the male, holding him securely.

 

Leeteuk felt the pull of Kangin calling him through their bond and followed Kibum out of the bedroom, clicking the door shut behind them.

 

He glanced to see that the human was staring intently down the corridor, his posture stiff.

 

“Kibum?” his question seemed to knock the human back to his senses, and he frowned at the waves of confusion and slight suspicion that were coming off him.

 

“I’ll see you in the morning, hyung,” the male says distractedly as he heads away from him at a quick pace, leaving Leetuek to stare in his own confusion at the male’s behaviour.

 

 

 

“Shut up, shut up; just shut up!” Kyuhyun growled to himself as he paced with his hands over his ears, as if it would help block out the tongue-lashing his wolf was giving him.

 

_You abandoned our mate! You left him there hurting and afraid, what kind of male are you?!_

 

“He’s not my mate!” he growls out viciously and punches the kitchen’s counter.

 

He groans in pain when he felt the countertop crack beneath his fist.

 

“Kyuhyun?”

 

Kyuhyun’s head whips towards the direction that Kibum’s voice came from, and watched as the slightly older male came through the foyer door.

 

Even in the dark, Kyuhyun could see the man was watching him intently. He bit off the growl that he wanted to send the human, and instead stalked towards the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

 

 

 

Kibum watched the younger male’s body move with a fluidity that only werewolves can achieve, and noticed that, with the slight aggression and frustration, it looked like Kyuhyun floated across to the refrigerator.

 

He could feel a warning deep within him, telling him to be wary of the male.

 

He brushed it off and crossed the room to sit at the island.

 

Kyuhyun drank deeply from the bottle, causing the bottle to turn thin from the amount of water he was drinking.

 

Kibum eyed the faint lines on the countertop, before casually grabbing a red apple from the fruit bowl and rubbed it against his shirt.

 

“Why did you hide?” he asked the male casually, before taking a small bite of the fruit.

 

The bottle was released from Kyuhyun’s mouth, the plastic making a sharp noise as it bloated back up with air.

 

The noise echoed through the silent kitchen, and Kibum patiently waited for his answer.

 

He was already expecting the reply he got from the male.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The other replied quickly as he made to leave the room via the dining room.

 

“Huh, so it wasn’t you who darted down the corridor when Leeteuk and I left Donghae’s room?” Kibum asked in mock confusion as he bit back into the apple, the sound of his teeth crunching the apple filling the silence.

 

Kibum was taking another bite of his apple, while staring expectantly at the back of Kyuhyun, when the male turned slowly to face him.

 

“This has got nothing to do with you or anybody else in this house.” Kyuhyun’s voice was low as he spoke to Kibum, his eyes piercing into the human’s.

 

Kibum hummed while jumping off his stool and swallowed before speaking. “I’ll give you... two days, if that,” he says as he walks towards Kyuhyun, coming to a stop next to the male.

 

He took another bite of his apple and stared into the eyes that were fixed on him.

 

He smirked after finding what he was looking for, and patted the younger male on the chest before brushing past him.

 

“Don’t come to me when it starts. My schedule is already fully booked, and I can’t be dealing with a wolf that’s in denial,” he calls as he walks away.

 

Kibum rolls his eyes at the curse word that Kyuhyun calls him as he passes the dining table and through the door that either led to Kangin’s office, garage, or his and Sungmin’s little office.

 

He opened the door and felt along the wall for the light switch. He waited for the room to brighten before fully entering, and he bypassed the medical chair and headed towards the vast bookcase in the room.

 

He placed his apple on his and Sungmin’s shared desk before wiping his hands on his pyjama bottoms to get rid the stickiness from the apple’s juice. Once done, he skims over the titles of the books, and once he found what he was looking for, he grabs it and flicks through it quickly.

 

His feet take him until he reaches the leather chair behind the desk, and sits as he finds the right page he was looking for.

 

After a few minutes of reading, he frowns.

 

_Symptoms can range from things such as troublesome memories, flashbacks that are usually caused by reminders of the traumatic events, and recurring nightmares about the trauma and/or reliving of the trauma._

_Physical signs can include sleep problems, trouble concentrating, irritability, anger, poor concentration, blackouts or difficulty remembering things, increased tendency and reaction to being startled and hyper vigilance (excessive watchfulness) to threat._

He sighs as he shuts the book, confirming what he had suspected about Donghae.

 

He reached and grabbed his almost finished apple, and as he took another bite, he began to think how to approach the subject with both Donghae and Sungmin.

 

He paused his chewing as a thought crossed his mind.

 

_If Donghae is like this...then what about his twin?_

 

 

Sungmin was humming softly to Donghae, due to the younger one’s request for him to do so. He was lying on his back with Donghae draped slightly over his chest. His brother’s head was directly over his heart, which seemed to comfort him, because only after a few minutes of humming, Donghae had fallen into what seemed to be a peaceful sleep.

 

Sungmin idly brushed his fingers through the brown locks that were fanned out on his chest, and smiled softly when Donghae unconsciously shook his head at the sensation.

 

He glanced at the bedside clock to see that it was three in the morning. His humming was halted by the tired yawn that overtook him, and he was beginning to feel his eyelids fighting to stay open.

 

But he didn’t want to sleep; he needed to find out just what his brothers had been doing for their entire lives.

 

He focused his eyes on his brother’s peaceful face, and swallowed the rising fear that had been growing since he’d left the forest.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

 

 

 

 

It’s been five days since he found his brother.

 

Donghae had spent the first few days with Sungmin and Victoria; he wasn’t yet comfortable to be around the others, especially after the incident involving Kyuhyun, and then his nightmare. Well, more like memory, but he told Sungmin it was just a nightmare involving losing him and his twin.

 

Victoria had kept her distance at first, wanting to give him and Sungmin space, which they were both grateful for. When she did join them, she was gushing about the little human named Ryeowook.

 

Sungmin chuckled at her compliments about the male. “I’d be careful if I were you, otherwise you might just anger a certain male.”

 

Victoria paused in her gushing to stare at him in confusion, and then in dawning panic.

 

“I didn’t realise that they...I mean...Wookie is a human so I didn’t think...” she trailed off and Donghae stared at them both in confusion.

 

Since he had been in his room for the past couple of days, he didn’t really know anyone.

 

He knew Zhou Mi, who was a regular visitor whenever Victoria was busy helping cooking their meals, or when Sungmin had to drop by the clinic to pick up work. Leeteuk also visited him a lot; he would always try and encourage him to leave his room and meet the household, but dropped it when he saw how uncomfortable Donghae would get.

 

“You know, Hae, if you actually left this room, you wouldn’t be giving yourself wrinkles right now,” Sungmin points out teasingly, and Donghae glowered at his brother.

 

He thought Leeteuk was bad, but when it was just him and his brother, Sungmin would try everything to get the male to leave the room.

 

He’s even started to convince Victoria to get in on it as well.

 

“Yesung met Ryeowook by - get this - shopping for groceries,” Sungmin gossips with Victoria while ignoring the frustrated gaze that Donghae was sending him. 

 

Sungmin laughs at Victoria’s bemused face, before beginning his explanation properly. “Before Ryeowook moved in, we all would take it in turns to cook. It usually fell on either Leeteuk’s or Hankyung’s shoulders to make the meals, and it would always be either Zhou Mi or Yesung that would do the shopping. Since Zhou Mi, at the time, was still struggling with Korean, it was decided that it would be Yesung to go out and do the shopping.”

 

“I brought home one wrong item and instantly got banned from doing the shopping more like,” Zhou Mi’s voice corrects from the slightly ajar door.

 

Donghae smiles in welcome as the elder came in and sat beside him on floor, which was where they were sitting because Victoria had brought up cookies she had baked.

 

Sungmin snorted before taking a drink from his water bottle, and Zhou Mi rolled his eyes while accepting the cookie that Victoria offered him.

 

“We sent you out to get salt and you came back with sugar. I’m sure you can remember what happens next,” Sungmin sniggers, and laughs properly when Zhou Mi threw a bit of his cookie at him.

 

“What happened?” Donghae asks Zhou Mi curiously, while noticing the pink tint to his cheeks.

 

“We all thought it was salt, so when we seasoned our dinner and took a bite expecting to taste something delicious, we got a horrible, sweet taste instead,” he mumbled in embarrassment, and

 

Donghae couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of everyone spitting out their food and exclaiming in disgust.

 

“I remember Heechul running to be sick because he over did his. He didn’t speak to you for days and fought with Leeteuk to forbid you from going anywhere near food again,” Sungmin adds as he remembers that day, chuckling at the memory.

 

Victoria looked like she didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

 

“Anyway, back to what I was saying,” Sungmin laughs. “Yesung had to do the shopping, and I remember him going to the store in a complete foul mood that day because it was summer and it was unbelievably hot. He was gone for almost two and half hours, when any other time he’s back within an hour. When he eventually came home, he was bouncing off the walls with happiness.”

 

Sungmin smiles fondly at the memory. “As it turned out, he found his mate, Ryeowook, whilst looking for a sauce that we were experimenting with. But because he wasn’t looking where he was going, and also due to his foul mood, he collided with poor Ryeowook and sent Ryeowook tumbling into a display of cereal boxes from his force, which then promptly collapsed on him. Yesung was quick to help him and apologise, but it was when he looked at Wook properly did he truly _knew_.” Sungmin paused to take a breath, and Zhou Mi took over.

 

“He insisted on buying Ryeowook’s shopping and spent the next two hours soaking up everything Ryeowook offered to him,” Zhou Mi snorts. “It’s a good thing that Ryeowook was actually attracted to Yesung, so it was easy for the two to start dating. Well...I say easy, but for Yesung it was hell to keep his wolf in check around their mate. But you can’t deny your mate for long,” Zhou Mi adds sadly as he recalls the hard time of watching Yesung struggle, and Donghae sat up straighter with interest.

 

“Why?” Victoria asked curiously, saving Donghae the trouble.

 

Zhou Mi glanced at Sungmin to take over, who sighed and shifted to wake up his now numb legs.

 

“It really depends on what type of werewolf you are,” Sungmin explains. “The more dominant you are, the stronger the instincts and needs of your wolf are. The less dominant you are, the weaker the instinct and drive become, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the same intense longing for your mate, it just means it’s either going to be at a normal level or a dangerous one.”

 

Sungmin pauses, seeing the twin unsure looks. “Okay, say you have a line, and in the middle is where a normal werewolf that isn’t too dominant or too submissive sits.” He uses his hands to demonstrate. “The higher you go, the more dominant you are, and the lower you go, the more submissive you become.”

 

“Yesung sits just off the normal, so he’s domineering, but not to a dangerous level which is after the middle of the higher line.” Sungmin stresses this with his hands, and both Donghae and Victoria nod. “So his needs and instincts can push him hard to the point it sometimes affects his way of thinking, and this happened with Ryeowook, about two months into the relationship, which for Yesung’s level, it’s okay to not have claimed his mate, but if it had went on for longer, it would’ve got dangerous.”

 

Sungmin goes quiet, hands lowering, and Donghae starts to fear the worst.

 

“What happened?” he asks quietly, and Sungmin notices the growing fear in him and quickly shakes his head.

 

“He didn’t do anything bad to Ryeowook,” he assures. “He just shifted in front of him when he shoved his needs into another direction,” Sungmin explained, and Donghae felt like an idiot for thinking of such things.

 

_They’re not like them, remember?_ His wolf tells him softly.

 

“Ryeowook was terrified at first; he locked Yesung in his bathroom at his apartment.” Zhou Mi laughs, before continuing, “Ryeowook told me that he had sat outside the bathroom door with the biggest kitchen knife he owned, and he would kick the door if he heard Yesung make any wolf sounds. When Yesung gained his control and shifted back, they both communicated through the bathroom door. After that, Ryeowook was officially introduced to the pack as Yesung’s mate and became a beloved pack member.” Zhou Mi smiled softly and clasped his hands together.

 

“Isn’t it romantic?” he gushed, and Donghae couldn’t help but follow his brother’s actions of rolling his eyes.

 

“I still can’t believe I missed it.” Victoria mumbled to herself and Zhou Mi consoles her.

 

“They’re a very private couple. So it’s understandable you didn’t see it.”

 

“Hey guys, dinner is almost ready, so come on down!” Ryeowook’s voice calls to them from where he was no doubt standing at the stairs, and in case they didn’t hear him, Yesung repeated his words, but in a louder and more demanding tone.

 

“The amount of times they’ve done that and you never clicked,” Zhou Mi teases, and Victoria shoves him with her foot as she stands up.

 

Donghae watches the pair bicker as they head for the door, and frowns when he feels Sungmin tug on his wrist.

 

He glances to see that his brother was standing and looking at him expectantly.

 

Donghae knew this dance all too well.

 

He tugged his wrist to be free, and narrowed his eyes when Sungmin tightened his grip.

 

“You’re not hiding no more, Hae. This time you’re joining us for dinner.” Sungmin’s tone said that there was argument about it; he was to come to dinner.

 

“Come on, Donghae, you know we would never harm you, we’re not like that!” Zhou Mi calls encouragingly from the door, before leaving with Victoria who had been nodding her head in agreement.

 

 The room was quiet as he and Sungmin stared at each other. He wanted to join them, he had wanted to do it for the past five days, but he was too scared.

 

_Baby steps,_ his wolf whispers. _Start off with dinner tonight, and then we’ll work on being there for every meal. Zhou Mi is right; if they wanted to have hurt us, they would’ve done so by now. He’ll protect us._

Donghae frowned at who his wolf meant by ‘he’, but sighed as he forced his feet to stand.

 

Sungmin let go off his wrist to grab the tray that he had brought their snack on, and he followed Sungmin out of his room and down the corridor, but paused when he hit the stairs.

 

Sungmin glanced back when he realised he wasn’t behind him, and frowned.

 

“Just give me a minute and I’ll follow you, okay?” he promises, and waits until Sungmin finally nods and for the male to continue down the stairs and through the kitchen door.

 

_Do this, and he’ll be proud of us,_ his wolf was getting excited at the thought of stepping up to their fear, and Donghae couldn’t help but laugh, even though he still didn’t know who he meant.

“Is it Sungmin or Eunhyuk that you mean?” he asks his wolf curiously, and felt a warm tickle slide through him.

 

_None of them. Hurry, let’s go join him._

 

Before he could question his wolf further, the door opened to show a mockingly annoyed Sungmin.

 

“You said a minute,” he states. “It’s now been a minute and a half, get your butt in here,” he continues with his facade, and Donghae laughs at his brother’s behaviour.

 

He hurries to his brother and pushes his wolf’s words from out of his mind.

 

 

 

Kyuhyun was officially starting to lose it.

 

His eyes felt like they were creating holes into the glass of water that he was holding from the concentration it was taking to ignore his edgy wolf.

 

For the past few days, he’s been ratty and restless, and his wolf would just _not shut up_.

 

He couldn’t even use sleep as an escape from his wolf’s constant demands and urges; they plagued him in his dreams which seemed to be following the same pattern.

 

Or rather, featuring the same person to Kyuhyun’s growing frustration.

 

Kibum cleared his throat, and Kyuhyun glanced at the male to see that he was watching him pointedly.

 

“Don’t,” Kyuhyun hisses softly as he forces his hand to put his drink onto the table.

 

It was just him and Kyuhyun in the dining room, everyone else was in the kitchen or either on their way.

 

Kibum was sitting directly across from him, and Kyuhyun was almost bristling at the feel of the other’s eyes on him.

 

“You do realise that if you keep on denying it, it’s only going to get worse, and may I add, also dangerous?” Kibum points out while taking a sip of his water.

 

Kyuhyun chooses to ignore him and stares out of the dining rooms large window. He jerked when Kibum kicked him under the table, and he held back the snarl that almost escaped him.

 

He glared at the annoying human, who in return, glared at him as well.

 

“You’ve been hiding yourself in that room of yours for the past two days; once Kangin sees you tonight, you’re going to be in trouble,” Kibum hisses, frustrated with his attitude. “What you’re doing now is reckless and dangerous - not just for you - but for all of us. Do you want a repeat of what happened on the first day that Donghae arrived here?” Kibum snaps at the male, just quiet enough so that the other werewolves in the house can’t hear him.

 

Kyuhyun groans at the name and slams his fists against the table, his plate and cutlery shaking at the action. He pushes the urges that came along with the name far away from him, and breathes hard through his nose.

 

Kyuhyun smells the human’s anger vanish as worry takes over.

 

“Kyuhyun, you need to-” Kibum was about to tell him to leave, Kyuhyun knew so by the male’s tone, and was grateful when the kitchen door opened and their pack came in.

 

Kibum’s worry disappeared immediately, and Kyuhyun watched as the male rose to help Ryeowook place the tray of side dishes onto the table.

 

As everyone took their usual seats, Kyuhyun made sure that he wasn’t displaying any signs that he was about to have a breakdown.

 

But his hard work went out the window when the kitchen door opened and a scent that he’d been craving for other the past few days hit him.

 

Kyuhyun fixed his starved eyes on the male that was shadowing Sungmin, and was pleased when the brothers and Victoria decided to sit next to Kibum.

 

The male’s brown wavy hair was ruffled into a half a ponytail that let his fringe frame his face, and Kyuhyun’s eyes locked onto the clear view of the male’s neck when he turned to speak to Kibum.

 

Kyuhyun wasn’t hungry before, but now, he was absolutely starved.

 

_He looks so good like that, doesn’t he? Our mate is so beautiful and delicious at the same time,_ his wolf says with so much pride and longing that Kyuhyun finds himself nodding.

 

When he realises what he was doing and _who_ he’s looking at, he subtly drops his hand to his thigh and digs his nails into himself.

 

The pain clears his head, and he was able to ignore the building need to do _something_ with the male.

 

_If I can just get through this dinner without doing something I’ll regret,_ Kyuhyun thinks as he tries to distract himself.   _I know that it’s all just hormones and no actual need, and despite what the others say, it’s all about mind over matter._ Kyuhyun continues to chant to himself, ignoring his wolf’s amusement.

 

 

_Look at him,_ his wolf whispers to him desperately, and Donghae frowns around the mouthful of rice he just ate.

 

He glanced to his right, past Kibum, whom was currently talking to his brother, and stared at his brother.

 

He frowned even harder when his wolf whined, and rattle Donghae’s mind with frustration.

 

_How am I supposed to know who you mean if you don’t tell me!_  He scolds his wolf in annoyance, and stabs at the piece of kimchi that was on his plate.

 

Other than the bizarre behaviour of his wolf, dinner was actually going well to Donghae’s surprise. He had been expecting something bad to happen and cause him to freak out, but the only thing freaking out was his wolf.

 

_I swear, Hyukie is right; you can be so dense at times._

 

Donghae splutters at the sudden insult from his wolf, and without thinking, he snaps out loud, “I’m not dense, you stupid mutt, and I’m not a mind reader, so how am I suppose to know who you mean?!”

 

There was a pause, before his wolf says, I _stand corrected. You’re not dense, you’re an idiot!_

 

Donghae turns red with embarrassment at the silence in the room due to his sudden outburst, and also because of the urge to throttle his usually docile wolf.

 

He grabs his glass of water and drinks deeply from it.

 

“Hae, are you okay?” his brother asks him in amusement, and Donghae calmly places his glass back down, picking his chopsticks back up.

 

“I’m perfect,” he replies stiffly, and begins eating again as if nothing had happened.

 

Slowly, the room returned back to its noisy level, and Donghae shoves his wolf because he couldn’t physically throttle him.

 

A quiet chuckle, that went unnoticed by everyone else, got caught by Donghae, and he glanced at the direction of the sound.

 

Brown eyes were fixed on him, and Donghae swallowed at the way the eyes would flicker from brown to gold.

 

His wolf sighed in contentment, and Donghae felt the tension that he didn’t realised he had escape from him as he and Kyuhyun locked gazes.

 

_You see, they are proud of us. They knew how nervous we were to be here, and the fact that we’re here pleases them. They’ve missed us, haven’t we missed them? I know I have,_ his wolf coos longingly.

Donghae was absolutely confused, and he nearly fell off his chair when his phone started to vibrate and ring in his pocket.

 

The shock of his phone ringing made the eye contact between him and Kyuhyun break as he frantically shoved his hand into his pocket to retrieve the device.

 

He glanced at the caller ID and felt his stomach sink.

 

“Donghae, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering it?” Sungmin questioned cautiously, and rose in alarm from his seat when he noticed just how pale the other had gone.

 

“It’s Shindong...Hyukie’s boss.”

 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

 

 

 

 

Sungmin raced towards his side and held him as he knelt down beside his chair.

 

The room was quiet, only the insistent ringing and vibration from the phone filling the air.

 

Donghae’s mouth felt dry as his heart pounded in his chest, and he glanced at his brother to find him blurry as his eyes filled with tears.

 

“You need to answer it, Hae.” Sungmin’s voice held all the emotions he was feeling, and he took a deep breath before hitting the answer button.

 

“Hello?” he greets hesitantly, and freezes at the reply he got.

 

 “Lee Donghae, where the hell are you?!” his twin yells at him with a fury he’s never heard from the male before.

 

“Hyukie?” he asks warily, and winces at the volume his twin was using.

 

“Don’t you dare ‘Hyukie’ me,” Eunhyuk growls. “I come home expecting you to be _sleeping,_ and what do I find? I find an empty apartment and a worried landlady who tells me that my twin has been missing for _five_ days. So let me ask you again, Donghae, where the hell are you?” His twin ends up growling the last five words so angrily, that Donghae slips down in his seat.

 

“I did try to ring you, but I got no reply,” he meekly tries to explain to his twin, and slumps further when his twin growls in warning.

 

“Eunhyuk, calm down, you’re no doubt scaring your poor twin.” Donghae hears Shindong’s calm voice from the other end of the phone, and was nodding even though the other couldn’t see him.

 

“I don’t care if he’s scared, he needs to realise how scared I’VE been!” Eunhyuk stresses, and Donghae glanced at Sungmin to see his brother’s eyes were watering.

 

“Hyukie, there’s someone I want you to speak to,” he says while staring at his brother, whose eyes widen at his words.

 

Before hearing his twin’s reply, he places the phone into Sungmin’s shaking hands and gently guides it to the male’s ear.

 

He pushes gently, and Sungmin snaps out of it.

 

“Hyukie?” he calls with so much vulnerability that Donghae has to look away from him.

 

But he can hear his twin’s response, and smiles softly as Eunhyuk starts to stutter.

 

“Donghae, this better not be some sick joke, I swear to god,” he hears his twin whisper, and Eunhyuk gasps when Sungmin laughed lightly.

 

“Hyukie, it’s not a joke, it’s me,” Sungmin assures, and grabs Donghae’s hand.

 

Donghae looked up to see that Leeteuk was gripping Kangin’s arm tightly as tears ran down his face while he watched the scene in front of him.

 

He wasn’t the only one that was shedding tears; Zhou Mi and Heechul were too.

 

His wolf begged him look over at Kyuhyun, and he sees the male smiling in genuine happiness for his best friend, but once Kyuhyun realises Donghae’s eyes are on him, his eyes turn from happiness to...tender?

 

“Min? Minnie? Is that really you...oh god, I need to see you!” Eunhyuk cries loud enough for it echo from the phone, and Sungmin squeezed Donghae’s hand, gaining his attention.

 

“Don’t worry, we’re coming for you.”

 

 

 

Donghae has never felt embarrassed about where he and Eunhyuk lived, but as he leads the three males into the small dirty elevator and presses the button for his floor, he begins to feel it now.

 

Sungmin was to his right and was holding his hand, and much to Donghae’s amusement, it was shaking slightly.

 

“It’s just Eunhyuk, you know. You don’t need to feel so nervous,” He teases softly as he bumps his shoulder with his brother, and grins when he got a scowl in return.

 

“I’m allowed to be nervous. What happens if he doesn’t like who I am, or I’m not who he remembers?” Sungmin rambles, and Donghae hits the other on the head with their joined hands.

 

“He’s never stopped loving you, Min. The reason why he works so hard is because he’s been trying to find you,” Donghae reveals, and smiles goodbye at a neighbour that gets off.

 

“You’ve been looking for Sungmin?” Leeteuk repeats, and Donghae nods as he watches the numbers to his floor get higher.

 

“We’d try to save enough every few months to pay a low budgeted detective to help us find Sungmin, but we never gained anything, unless you count the weeks that we would go hungry because of it.” Donghae flinched as the three males tensed at his words and cursed himself mentally for the slip.

 

The doors opened on his floor and he led them quickly from the elevator. The dim looking corridor seemed even more gritty than normal in light of his company; he couldn’t help but blush in mortification.

 

“We don’t need to be wary of your twin do we?” Leeteuk asks as they get closer to his apartment door, and Donghae pauses, which make them do so as well.

 

He thinks about it and sighs. “He’s going to be angry at me for disappearing, but once he sees that I’m not hurt, he’ll calm down,” he tells them. “After that, he’s going to be more focused on Sungmin.”

 

He turns to look at all three of them and finds himself more drawn to the silent man that had been behind him all the way to his apartment.

 

He couldn’t see Kyuhyun’s eyes because of the sunglasses the younger male had insisted on wearing, and Donghae couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed at not being able to read him.

 

“Everything will be fine just...let him do his thing, okay?” he asks them, and when they all nod hesitantly, he smiles and darts towards his door which was the last one on the corridor.

 

He had just slipped his key into the lock, and didn’t get the chance to unlock the door when it was flung open to reveal a still very angry twin.

 

Donghae allowed his twin to drag him into the apartment, and winced when he slammed the door shut behind them.

 

He forgot to mention that his twin would lock them out until he was done with him.

 

Pounding immediately sounded on the door, but it didn’t last long, which confused Donghae, but his twin brought his focus back.

 

“Stay still.” His twin orders, and Donghae can’t help the limpness that overcomes his body.

 

Eunhyuk catches him whilst sighing softly, but he didn’t look annoyed at his submission, if anything, it helped the male check him over.

 

He ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries or bruises, any sign of mistreatment.

 

“I’m not hurt, Hyukie,” Donghae whispers, and sighs softly when he spies the panic and worry that the other had kept hidden from his eyes.

 

He wrapped his arms around his twin and grunted softly when Eunhyuk tightened his arms around him.

 

Donghae took in the refreshing and comforting scent of the male and sighed peacefully, feeling Eunhyuk do the same too.

 

“I thought I had lost you,” his twin whispers in his ear, and Donghae tightens his arms around the other.

 

“You’ll never lose me, Hyukie,” he consoles firmly, and smiles at the gentle ruffle of his hair Eunhyuk does.

 

He lets go of his twin to see that the anger and panic that he had before was gone. Donghae grabs the door handle and waits for Eunhyuk to calm himself as a new worry eats at him.

 

“Shall we invite our brother and his friends in?” Donghae smiles, laughs when Eunhyuk shoves his hand out of the way to open it himself.

 

Donghae was surprised to see Leeteuk and Kyuhyun on the other side of the corridor with Kyuhyun pacing while Leeteuk stood still, and was speaking quietly.

 

At the sound of the door opening, Kyuhyun had started to pace faster, and Leeteuk grabbed his arm to stop the younger male.

 

“Sungmin?” Donghae calls out when he didn’t spy his brother, and leaned out of the door to find him.

 

He smiles at the sight of his brother leaning against the wall beside the door and motioned for the nervous male to come inside.

 

“We’ll be right in when you three have had some time together,” Leeteuk calls to them, and Donghae notices the firm grip that the elder has on Kyuhyun.

 

Sungmin nods in understanding, and with a deep breath, he steps into the doorway of the apartment, only to stop and stare at the brother who he hadn’t seen in twenty years.

 

Donghae watched with a soft smile as both his brothers ran to each other and embraced. He nudged them slightly so he could shut the front door properly, and left them alone in the entrance of the apartment so they could have their moment.

 

He headed towards the kitchen and grabbed some mugs and prepared to boil some water for their guests.

 

As he worked, he listened to the quiet crying of his older siblings, and brushed the tears that fell at the sound.

 

_Now we’re finally back together._

 

 

 

Leeteuk watched as Donghae shut the door on them, and let go of his grip on Kyuhyun.

 

The male promptly started to pace again, and Leeteuk sighed as he made his way to the wall and leaned against it.

 

Leeteuk had dragged the male away from the apartment the moment that Kyuhyun started to pound on the door when Eunhyuk had dragged his twin inside. Sungmin had froze at seeing a glimpse of his brother and hadn’t seemed to hear or see the scene that Kyuhyun had been creating, so Leeteuk had dragged him away and ordered him to walk it off, something Kyuhyun hadn’t stopped doing since.

 

“How long have you been denying your wolf and yourself of your mate?” He quietly asks Kyuhyun, and raises an eyebrow at the hiss he gets in return.

 

“He’s not my mate! I haven’t accepted him, and I won’t!” Kyuhyun hisses in agitation, and paces faster.

 

Leeteuk had believed Kyuhyun was the smarter one out of his werewolves, but now he was thinking otherwise.

 

“Sure you haven’t accepted him, you just go into a rage when another person touches him or speaks about him. And the times that you have seen him, you’ve never taken your eyes off him.” Leeteuk comments neutrally whilst looking at his hands.

 

Kyuhyun stops his pacing, and Leeteuk continues. “Kyuhyun, there’s nothing wrong with having a mate,” he says softly. “Why are you fighting it so hard when you know deep down that you can’t run from it?”

 

“My wolf has accepted it, not me.”

 

“Kyuhyun, stop it,” Leeteuk growls out, and Kyuhyun freezes at the sudden display of his wolf.

 

Leeteuk pushes off from the wall and approaches a wary Kyuhyun.

 

“You’ve both accepted it, so don’t lie to me,” he warns clearly. “Now, tell me the truth. Why are you fighting your feelings for Donghae?” he asks, allowing his wolf to influence his words.

 

Kyuhyun slumps his shoulders in defeat.

 

“I’m scared,” he admits, and Leeteuk is instantly holding the younger male at the defeated, conflicted expression that comes over Kyuhyun’s face.

 

He soothes the shocked male, rubbing his back gently. “It’s natural for you to be scared, Kyu,” he reassures gently, “but trust me, there is no reason for you to fear your mate, or your instincts and urges. Having a mate is a wonderful thing, Kyuhyun. If you push your fear aside and feel your emotions, you’ll be laughing at your fear.”

 

Leeteuk pulls away and smiles slightly at the uncertainty on the other’s face.

 

“Trust yourself, Kyuhyun. That’s all you need to do.”

 

 

 

Donghae smiles at the touching scene that was happening in the living room.

 

Sungmin and Eunhyuk were holding hands, and though little talking was going on, that action alone was enough to comfort them.

 

His twin was still shaking, and Sungmin kept sniffling every so often.

 

“Even though he’s sitting right there, I still can’t believe you found him,” Shindong says softly from behind him.

 

“It’s like a dream,” Donghae comments, and pushes off from the kitchen doorway to answer the knocking that was coming from the front door.

 

“I’ll get it; you go be with your brothers.” Shindong brushes past him, and Donghae thanks him softly.

 

Donghae quietly approaches his brothers, and smiles when they both reached a hand towards him at the same time. He places his hands into theirs, and felt his chest tighten when they squeeze at the same time.

 

You would think that they were the twins from the way they were acting.

 

Leeteuk and Kyuhyun were showed into the living room by Shindong, and Donghae noticed the way the male was staring at the two strangers, namely at one of them.

 

Leeteuk bowed, and Kyuhyun followed, “Hello, Eunhyuk, I’m Leeteuk, and this here is Kyuhyun. We’re a part of the pack that Sungmin belongs to,” Leeteuk introduces them kindly, and Donghae tenses when he sees his twin bristle at the word ‘pack’.

 

“Leeteuk is the alpha’s mate, and Kyuhyun is a very close friend of mine,” Sungmin whispers, picking up on Eunhyuk’s distrust. “They’re both trustworthy.”

 

Eunhyuk studied the males, and even though he was wary, he nodded for them to have a seat.

 

Shindong positions himself to be beside Donghae and Eunhyuk; both were used to the act now, but the way that Sungmin and Kyuhyun stiffened had Donghae rushing to explain.

 

“Shindong is one of the people that we trust most. He’s been helping and also protecting us all these years. He’s like our father.” Donghae smiles at the elder, seeing the slight blush on his cheeks.

 

Sungmin frowns, and Donghae felt the other’s hand clench around his. “Protecting you from what?” he demands, and Donghae swallows at the tone the other was using.

 

“From life, Sungmin.” Eunhyuk doesn’t elaborate further, and Sungmin sighs in frustration at the other’s stubbornness, but doesn’t push no further.

 

Donghae realises that apart from Shindong, he’s the only one left standing.

 

He goes to sit on the floor, so that he’s in front of his brothers, but stills when a soft voice calls out to him.

 

“You can have my seat.”

 

Donghae glances to see Kyuhyun standing beside the ratty chair that came from a neighbour, and frowns and shakes his head.

 

“You’re a guest,” he argues softly. “Besides, the floor isn’t that uncomfortable.” Donghae folds his knees and smiles to ease his suddenly tense twin.

 

Donghae fails to see the disappointment in Kyuhyun’s face, but Eunhyuk, however, doesn’t.

 

He watches as the tall male slips back into his seat, and Leeteuk squeezes the other’s knee whilst whispering quietly so that Eunhyuk can’t pick up the words.

 

_Wait,_ his wolf warns him, and Eunhyuk glances to look at Shindong who hasn’t removed his eyes from the male they are both questioning silently.

 

Shindong flickers his eyes to him, and he can see the warning in his eyes too.

 

“I have a question for you, Eunhyuk, if that’s all right?” Leeteuk asks him, and he turns his focus from Shindong to stare at the older male who was sitting opposite him.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

He notices the way the male shifts in his seat and glances at his twin.

 

Eunhyuk is now _very_ curious as to what the male will ask him.

 

“Well, I was wondering, why couldn’t Donghae work with you instead of working separately?”

 

At the male’s words, Eunhyuk frowns in confusion, and he notices the way his twin tries to tug his hand free from his.

 

He tightens his grip, confused. “What do you mean working separately? Donghae doesn’t have a job; he hasn’t had one since a few months ago.”

 

Now it’s Leeteuk’s turn to look confused, before understanding chases it away.

 

It doesn’t take Eunhyuk long to figure the same thing out.

 

He snaps his eyes to his twin that is already looking at the floor, and he yanks on the male’s hand.

 

“Have you been working?” he growls out, and when Donghae hesitantly nods, Eunhyuk rips his hand from him.

 

“Explain, now.” He furiously demands.

 

Donghae shrinks at his tone, but Eunhyuk is more focused on keeping his anger from taking over him.

 

Donghae knew how much Eunhyuk hated for him to work, that’s why he took jobs that were terrible but paid well.

 

“I used the money you gave me to pay the rent, Hyukie,” Donghae rapidly began to explain, and Eunhyuk focused on his rushed words. “You never told me how much we owed, so I insisted on giving her nearly most of the money, but realised that I wouldn’t have enough to eat and such. I only took the job just so I had some money to live off while you were gone! I was going to quit the second you came back!”

 

Donghae pauses, and Eunhyuk doesn’t like the way his twin was now trying to avoid looking at him.

 

“I could’ve sent you money!” he argues, trying to catch his gaze as he slip off the sofa to grab the retreating form. “So that’s why you were wanting me back so quickly,” he realises, and then tightens his hold on the other’s wrist. “What were you doing?” he growls quietly.

 

It took roughly five seconds for Eunhyuk to realise that it wasn’t just his own growl that was reverberating around the room.

 

It took only another two seconds for him to stand and face off with the male that was being held back by Leeteuk.

 

“Do not speak to him like that,” Kyuhyun growls, and Eunhyuk bristles, but when a hand clamps down onto his shoulder, and he saw that it was Sungmin, he frowned.

 

“Just do as he says, Hyukie,” his brother eases softly, and Eunhyuk notices that Donghae was actually staring at Kyuhyun without any submission rolling from him.

 

If anything, his twin was moving subtly closer to the male.

 

Eunhyuk groaned at the same time his wolf did too, _we were right._

 

“Donghae,” Eunhyuk called softly, and would’ve laughed when his twin jumped in surprise, before blushing red like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.

 

“Yes?” Donghae hesitantly answers.

 

Eunhyuk sits down on the floor so he could lean against the sofa, crossing his ankles, “explain everything.”

 

As his brother hurriedly explained his story, Eunhyuk keeps his eyes firmly on a male that was so focused on his twin’s words, that he was sure nothing could distract the male.

 

Somewhere inside of him began to ache, and he swallowed at the sudden loneliness that swept though him.

 

He didn’t want to, but he could relate to Kyuhyun.

 

He wanted something that he couldn’t have too.

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

 

Donghae couldn’t sleep. He stared at the closed eyes of his twin and watched as the other dreamed.

 

Eunhyuk didn’t need asking twice if he would come back to the house with them, and Donghae was immediately suspicious of his twin’s behaviour.

 

Any other time he would be wary, and he would want to make sure that the place was safe enough for them, but when Leeteuk asked if he would come with them, he all but kicked them out of the apartment.

 

Donghae began to think back to the way his twin took the news of his job.

 

When he explained that he and Victoria were scared because of the domineering male and that they couldn’t leave, he had expected both of his brothers to storm out of the apartment to go hunting for the male.

 

What he got instead was Sungmin’s arms wrapping around his neck from behind, and Eunhyuk stroking his hand softly.

 

So he was _incredibly_ suspicious of his twin’s behaviour.

 

Donghae narrowed his eyes at the sleeping face, _what are you planning, Hyukie?_

 

He gently traces the other’s nose, and smiles when it twitches at his light brush. He was glad to have his twin with him again, it had felt weird to be sleeping in a bed by himself; he was used to the warmth of another body beside his.

 

He sighed sadly as he remembered what happened on the first night here, in the pack house. He was alone and in a house that was full of werewolves, it had made him remember his dark past, causing him to dream of it.

 

One of the main reasons why he and Eunhyuk slept in the same room, as well as in the same bed, was to keep his memories at bay whilst he slept.

 

He wrapped his hands tighter around the male’s waist, and used his brother’s warmth as a reassurance that his memories couldn’t hurt him again.

 

They can scare him, but they can’t physically hurt him.

 

He breathed in the comforting scent of his twin, and swallowed as he smelt the very faint, but ever lingering, scent on him.

 

His brother had been carrying it for the past eight and a half years, but in this house he could smell it even more because it was a lot more pungent that Eunhyuk’s, which had grown faint over the course of the years.

 

It made sense for it to grow faint; it’s been awhile since both of them last saw him.

 

Donghae jolted at the thought and worry immediately pounded through him.

 

 _It’s been years since we last saw him, but he always contacted us every month,_ he worries to himself. _It’s been nearly four months since we last heard from him...from both of them._

Donghae pressed his hand against his and his twin’s heart, and prayed.

 

_Please, let them be okay. We’d rather go back there than have both of them hurting to protect us._

 

An image of boy younger than himself came to Donghae’s mind, and he bit his lip to keep his small cry to himself.

 

_Please...he’s just a pup._

 

 

“Not eating?”

 

Kyuhyun glanced to look at the alpha, and saw that he was staring at him from the dining room doorway and shook his head.

 

“I just came down to get a coffee,” he mumbles. “I still have work that needs to be done.” The coffee pot beeped just in time and he slowly poured himself a mug full.

 

He could feel the way Kangin was staring at him, and he turned to raise an eyebrow in question while blowing his coffee before taking a tentative sip.

 

“Donghae isn’t either,” Kangin nonchalantly comments as he moves towards the fridge that was next to Kyuhyun.

 

Kyuhyun spluttered as the scalding liquid made contact his tongue, causing the small amount that was in his mouth to spray out.

 

He gratefully took the offered water from Kangin and took a generous sip to cool the burning in his mouth, ignoring the way his cheeks were burning.

 

“We haven’t established a proper bond yet, so we’re not affecting each other,” he argues, handing the water back to the smirking older male.

 

“Who said anything about you and Donghae affecting each other? I merely commented that your mate wasn’t hungry as well, in fact, he doesn’t look too good.”

 

Kangin walked away from him as he spoke, back towards the foyer, and Kyuhyun was thankful for having the male’s back to him.

 

He didn’t want Kangin to see he almost dropped his mug when he heard that Donghae wasn’t looking well.

 

“What do you mean, ‘he doesn’t look good’?” he repeats anxiously, and waits for the male to answer to him.

 

Kangin takes a sip from the bottle of water and pushes the door open. “Why don’t you go see for yourself?”

 

Kyuhyun watches the male disappear as the door closes behind him, and he wonders what he should do.

 

He looks down at the mess he caused and sighs, grabbing a kitchen paper towel and wiping the floor clean.

 

Faintly, he could picked up on Sungmin’s voice as well as the other brother’s voice too, and they were encouraging something.

 

Kyuhyun straightened quickly and dumped the used kitchen paper in the bin as he passes to go into the dining room.

 

He sees that Hankyung is on his own whilst sipping on a coffee; his head was buried in what looked to be essay papers. Zhou Mi, Ryeowook, and Victoria were talking while Yesung was a silent presence sitting beside Ryeowook. Minus Yesung - who’s attention was firmly on Ryeowook - they kept glancing every so often at the sound of the Lee brothers talking.

 

Kyuhyun was already heading towards the end of the table even before his brain could analyse what he was seeing.

 

Eunhyuk was holding a slice of toast, his head bent low to look at Donghae who was hanging his head, avoiding him.

 

Sungmin noticed that Kyuhyun was coming and he stood up and met him before he could reach them.

 

“Kyu, I need a favour,” Sungmin whispers as he approaches and Kyuhyun stops.

 

He stares at the male warily. “Why? What do you need?” he questions, and steps back when Sungmin pushes him so.

 

Sungmin pushes so that they are away from the twins, and its then that Kyuhyun sees the worry in the other’s eyes.

 

It doesn’t help him one little bit.

 

“Me and Hyuk are going to the clinic today, and we need someone to watch over Donghae,” Sungmin whispers, throwing a concerned look over his shoulder at Donghae. “You can see that he doesn’t look well, and according to Hyuk, he’s been looking drained for awhile.”

 

Kyuhyun could see that Sungmin is giving him an opportunity to get closer to the male, but instead of being thankful, he starts panicking.

 

“Wouldn’t Victoria and Zhou Mi be the ideal candidates to look after him?” he races out, heart pounding. “They’re close to him, or better yet, Eunhyuk stays here and you run to the clinic to get whatever you need to treat him,” he babbles.

 

Sungmin narrows his eyes at him. “I’m asking _you_ , Kyuhyun. You’re my brother’s mate, so act like one.”

 

Sungmin storms away from him, and Kyuhyun starts to panic more as Eunhyuk hesitantly stands up, leaving his brother.

 

Kyuhyun swallows at the look that he gets from both brothers as they pass him.

 

 _You said you were going to stop being scared,_ his wolf reminds him, and he remembers what Leeteuk told him, clinging to the older male’s words.

 

He shoves his panic away and quietly makes his way to Donghae.

 

Ignoring the audience he’s gained, he clears his throat softly to get Donghae’s attention, and he can feel the tension ease out of him when the male looks up at him.

 

 _Ours,_ a voice reminds him firmly, and he can’t help but nod in agreement.

 

 

 

 

Eunhyuk and Sungmin are peering around the doorway to watch the scene in the dining room.

 

Eunhyuk feels his heart pound with anticipation as Kyuhyun slowly sits down beside his twin.

 

He’s really not surprised to see his twin change once Kyuhyun is sitting beside him.

 

“Well, at least he’s not about to drop head first onto the table now,” Sungmin comments quietly, and Eunhyuk nods in agreement.

 

His twin may be sitting up now, but he could tell that Kyuhyun wasn’t going to win in getting him to eat.

 

“He’s a pretty crap mate,” he mutters darkly as he watches Kyuhyun’s stiff, unnatural movements.

 

He hisses at the sharp slap Sungmin gives him on his head, and they both whip out of sight when Kyuhyun glances in their direction.

 

“He’s not crap, he’s just awkward,” Sungmin defends. “Kyuhyun generally is with people.”

 

 Eunhyuk rolls his eyes and leans back out, only to stare wide-eyed at the scene he sees.

 

“He’s going to eat,” he whispers in shock as he watches Kyuhyun butter a new slice of toast and offers it to Donghae, who slowly grabs it and takes a small hesitant bite.

 

Eunhyuk grumbles, slightly jealous, at being denied by his twin, and Sungmin tugs him away from the dining room while laughing softly, “you don’t have a mate’s touch.”

 

Eunhyuk shoves away the pain and sadness that erupts at his brother’s words.

 

But he doesn’t miss a step as they walk out of the house and head towards Sungmin’s car.

 

He focuses on the present, rather than the past.

 

 _You can’t keep burying him,_ his wolf scolds him, and he ignores the words in favour of slamming the car door shut.

 

He can feel Sungmin’s startled eyes on him from the slightly violent action, and he stares unseeingly out of the window, trying to push himself away from the box he’s buried inside him and focus on the matter at hand.

 

“Let’s go visit the bastard that terrified our brother.”

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

 

 

 

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Victoria asks him for the seventh time, and he pushes her towards Zhou Mi who was waiting at the front door with an amused grin on his face.

 

“Zhou Mi, take her before I go insane,” Donghae pleads the older male, and sighs in relief when Zhou Mi gently tugs the female towards the open door.

 

“I mean it, Hae, you better rest!” she calls out, just as Zhou Mi closes the door on them as he ushers her out.

 

The foyer is suddenly silent now that he and Victoria had stopped their childish bickering.

 

Just because he woke up with a headache and a loss of appetite, he had everyone’s attention. But no matter how much he’d tried to explain that it was due to lack of sleep, the more they fussed over him. In the end, Donghae started blocking them out, especially when his twin started to threaten to force-feed him at breakfast.

 

But he didn’t block Kyuhyun out.

 

He remembers how the male had asked him, almost shyly, if he could sit in Sungmin’s abandoned seat. Donghae couldn’t help but nod at the male, and had watched with suddenly awake eyes as the male awkwardly started to help himself to breakfast.

 

He was surprised when the male offered him a slice a toast, and it was his wolf that eagerly answered for him.

 

He had only taken a small bite of the toast to be polite, but it was enough to awaken his hunger and he ended up demolishing the slice of cooked bread, and tried not to stare as Kyuhyun ate at his slowly.

 

It had felt nice to be around the male. Donghae had been thinking that, since the whole ‘mate’ thing, that Kyuhyun was avoiding him, so he was happy that the male had made the first move.

 

His wolf, on the other hand, was crying for the male to pay more attention to them.

 

He had only ate half of his toast when he excused himself from the room, his wolf was making his headache worse, but he hadn’t gotten far when he felt a soft, but electrifying, touch on his wrist.

 

And he had known who it was straightaway.

 

“If you need anything, just shout and I’ll hear you,” Kyuhyun kindly told him, and Donghae could only offer a pathetic nod in reply.

 

But once he was away from the male, he couldn’t help but smile.

 

It’s been an hour since then, and Kyuhyun’s words _still_ made him smile.

 

He was originally supposed to go out with Victoria and Zhou Mi today since Victoria needed to go to her apartment and Zhou Mi refused to let her go on her own, so they had naturally invited Donghae, and at the time he was fine to join their little outing, but this morning both Sungmin and Victoria vetoed him from it, both ordering him to sleep with Ryeowook ordering him to eat some of the leftovers in the fridge.

 

It was the first time he had spoken to the human this morning, and Donghae was warmed at the concern the other had for him already.

 

He was beginning to like the pack.

 

He felt his body sway slightly and he reached out to steady himself against the wall.

 

 _I need to get to my room_ ; he weakly thinks to himself, trying to focus, and slowly pushes himself off from the wall.

 

He’s only two steps up the staircase when his whole body slumps forwards and everything goes black.

 

 

 

Eunhyuk follows Sungmin through the sliding doors of the clinic he works at, they had just came from the bar that Donghae and Victoria had worked at, and he could still feel the anger in his veins.

 

The male didn’t stand a chance against him, and Eunhyuk smirked as the memory of the male’s fear. He had made sure that the male wouldn’t be using his nature to bully others no more now that he knew how it felt to be bullied in return.

 

“Sungmin?” a male’s voice calls out, and Eunhyuk glances to see a human walking towards them.

 

He recognises the scent that was on Donghae’s clothes and realises that this was Kibum, Sungmin’s colleague.

 

Sungmin had briefed him while on their way here, so he was somewhat familiar with the people who he worked with.

 

Before is brother could greet the male, Kibum grabbed a hold of his brother’s elbow and led him through some doors, making Eunhyuk hurry after them as they go down a corridor until they stopped at door that said it was Kibum’s office.

 

Kibum glanced at him, and before Eunhyuk could speak, Kibum beat him to it. “You must be Eunhyuk?” He asks him, and when he nodded, Kibum opened his door and gestured for both of them to enter.

 

The office was smaller than Eunhyuk had expected, but from the quick once over he gave the place, he knew that the budget for the place ran on curing the patients rather than decorating.

 

“Take a seat,” he gestures. “I’m glad that you both came today, I’ve been meaning to catch you, Sungmin, but the timing has been bad,” Kibum explains quickly as he moves to sit behind his desk.

 

Sungmin takes a seat across from the male, and Eunhyuk follows. He glances at his brother to see that the male was staring at Kibum in confusion.

 

“Is something wrong?” he asks, and Eunhyuk feels like someone has punched him in his stomach at Kibum’s words.

 

“It’s about Donghae and the incident that happened a few days ago.”

 

Eunhyuk was confused about this ‘incident’, and was about to ask them, when Sungmin says quietly, almost annoyed, “I didn’t know you were assessing my brother, Kibum. You should have asked my permission before doing anything.”

 

Kibum sighs and opens his desk drawer and getting something out, and pushes a little sheet towards them.

 

Eunhyuk leans over to look and feels his heart starting to race at the words that stares back at him.

 

“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,” Sungmin reads out loud, confused, and a second later, he gasps in realisation.

 

“I wanted to be sure, and it makes sense after I watched him for a few days,” Kibum gently explains. “The nightmares, the fear of being around other werewolves, his sleeping problems; they’re down to this. The question is why does he have PTSD?” Kibum looks directly at Eunhyuk at that, and he feels like he can’t breathe.

 

Suddenly, Kibum is rushing to him and Sungmin is holding onto his arm, holding him up.

 

Dimly, he realises that he had fallen off his chair and onto Sungmin.

 

His mind was only focused on his brother and their past.

 

Why hadn’t he realised it sooner? How come Shindong didn’t see it?

 

He knew the answer why.

 

_We never told anyone about our past, we only showed small bits of ourselves._

 

Just then, the shrill ringing of Sungmin’s phone echoes around the room.

 

 

 

 

Kyuhyun was feeling tense and he couldn’t understand why.

 

He rubs at his shoulder in hope to remove it, only to sigh in frustration.

 

He shoves the work that he had yet to finish away from him and pushed his chair away from his desk, his mind refusing to focus on the words that he needed to read and understand.

 

His mind was only focused on the dark circles that were underneath Donghae’s tired eyes.

He glances at his open door and listens carefully. He could hear the soft voice of his mate arguing softly with Victoria downstairs in the foyer.

 

Kyuhyun smiles at the motherly tone the female was using as she gave Donghae orders to eat and rest.

 

 _She’ll make a brilliant mother someday,_ his wolf compliments, and he nods in agreement.

 

He has to admit, he was envious of the bond the two had. He had thought for - a split second - that they were dating when he had first met them, but once he saw the way Victoria acted around Donghae, he knew that it was just friendship.

 

 _I wish I could have a bond with him,_ Kyuhyun thinks to himself, sighing softly.

_You can have that bond with him now that you’ve finally accepted your feelings,_ his wolf encourages. _You let your fear set you back, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have that bond with him. It isn’t too late, so stop thinking like that._

 

Kyuhyun smiles slightly at his wolf’s words. _Why didn’t you just force me to accept my feelings instead of letting me live in denial and fear?_ He asks his wolf curiously.

 

_It’s tough enough that we can’t choose who we live the rest of our lives with; I didn’t want to force your feelings in case you argued that they were just mine. I needed you to go through the process alone in order for you to accept our future._

Kyuhyun paused, holding himself back from what he was about to ask and released it was stupid to since his wolf already knew what he was thinking anyway.

 

 _I’m not going to answer you unless you actually ask me. I know I’m in your head but it doesn’t mean you can be lazy._ His wolf scolded him lightly, and Kyuhyun shoved him.

 

 _And here I thought you were actually nice,_ he jokes and sighs out loud. _What if Donghae doesn’t accept us? What if he denies his feelings just like I did? What would happen to us?_

Kyuhyun was almost scared to hear the answer, but he needed to know.

 

 _While you were hiding, I was watching,”_ his wolf begins, and Kyuhyun holds his breath. _You didn’t see the way his eyes would linger when he saw us, or the way his profile would turn so that he could be facing us. I don’t think he realised it at first, but that day when he came to dinner, he knew. Just like this morning when he refused to eat for his twin, but he ate for us. He’s accepted it; he’s just scared of what you’re going to do._

Kyuhyun’s wolf quietens when he realises that Kyuhyun was staring at the open doorway of his bedroom.

 

“Why is it quiet?” Kyuhyun says hesitantly, frowning as he slowly gets up from his chair.

 

He had heard Victoria and Zhou Mi leave a few minutes ago, and in those minutes, the whole house had turned silent.

 

The tension in his body grew, as his heart and stomach began to react to his worry.

 

He stepped out of his bedroom and listened intently.

 

He froze when he heard a dull thud.

“Donghae?” he calls out as he edges towards the landing.

 

When he gets no reply, he quickens his pace, and was about to call out again when he saw him.

 

For one second it felt like his heart had stopped.

 

 _No...._ his wolf whispered just as a wave of alarm flooded through both of them.

“Donghae!” He yells, hoping to rouse him as he races to the unconscious form that lay on the stairs.

 

Instinct and panic was driving him now; his mind had shut down the moment he saw the male lying there.

 

He gently picks the male up, and it’s only then that he notices the heat that was rolling off him while he rushes them to his bedroom. As Kyuhyun places him gently onto his bed, with one hand he begins to quickly unbutton the male’s shirt while his other hand searched his own pockets for his phone.

 

He hears footsteps racing to his bedroom and glances in time to see Hankyung and Heechul race into his room.

 

They take in his flustered and panicked state and immediately rush to help him.

 

“Fever?” Heechul asks as he notices Kyuhyun struggling to unclothe the male with his shaking hands.

 

Heechul moves him, taking over so that Kyuhyun could find his phone that wasn’t in his pockets. “I-I think so,” he stutters out. “The heat coming off him is what I’m worried about,” Kyuhyun rushes out as he searches his desk, and sighs in relief when he finds the black phone.

 

He hits speed dial and watches as Hankyung hurries from his bathroom with a damp face towel, and he begins to dab Donghae’s forehead and neck with it to cool his temperature down.

 

“Kyu?” Sungmin sharp greeting brings Kyuhyun back to reality and the situation at hand.

 

“Donghae has a fever, I think. What do I do?” he tries to ask calmly, forcing himself not to alarm the male as he starts to pace as he waits for an answer.

 

He hears the sound of a door being slammed open through the call and the sound of Sungmin running.

 

“Have you checked his temperature?” Sungmin demands, and Kyuhyun can hear Eunhyuk in the background demanding to know what’s wrong. “You need to see if it’s past 38 C, if it’s below, he’s fine, he just has a low grade fever.”

 

Kyuhyun glances at Heechul.

 

“Do you we own a thermometer?” he questions quietly, and feels a fresh wave of panic flow through him when Heechul struggled to come up with an answer.

 

“Go to the clinic, there should be one in the glass cabinet,” Sungmin quickly directs him. “It’s a digital one, so it’ll tell you straight away.”

 

Kyuhyun chucks his phone to Heechul as he races from the room.

 

He jumped nearly halfway down the staircase before sprinting into the kitchen, where he almost knocked over a startled Leeteuk and Kangin as they came in from the backyard.

 

He doesn’t hear what Leeteuk says as he leaves them. Shoving doors open and ignoring the loud bangs he’s making due to his rush, he slams open the door to the clinic, his eyes darting around the room, searching.

 

He shoots towards the small glass cabinet that was near the medical chair, and he grabs what he needs before racing from the room and going back the way he had came, bumping into Leeteuk and Kangin once again.

 

“Donghae has a fever and I need to read his temperature!” He yells as he races past them, and he didn’t have to look back to know that they were following.

 

Once back in his room, he was already trying to unpack the covering for the ear piece when Hankyung take it from his shaking hands.

 

Kyuhyun sticks close to the male’s side as he calmly clicked the sterile covering onto the thermometer and placed it inside Donghae’s ear.

 

“Hankyung’s checking it now...Sungmin, don’t be stupid and slow down...well I’m your hyung and you’ll do as I say,” Heechul chastises the male whilst he watches Hankyung as they wait for the white object to beep.

 

Kyuhyun nearly tore the male’s arm off when it did so he could read the numbers, and visibly shrank with relief.

 

“It’s just 37 C, he’s okay,” Hankyung tells Heechul, who in turn, relays it to Sungmin.

 

Kyuhyun sinks to his knees and he gently strokes Donghae’s cheek, staring at the rise and fall of the male’s chest.

 

He feels a pair of hands squeeze his shoulders, and he glances up to see Leeteuk smiling down at him. “He’s going to be okay,” he reassures him softly. “We just need to give him some medication to help bring it down back to normal.”

 

Kyuhyun nods, dazed, and returns his gaze back on to the male’s chest.

 

_He’s going to be okay._

_  
_

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

Donghae felt his neck ache from the way he was sleeping, and he groaned painfully as he slowly moved to sit up properly. While doing so, he noticed that he had been sleeping in an old, worn-out chair.

 

The first thing that came to his mind was the slightly uncomfortable warmth that was inside the room. His whole body ached from how he had been sleeping, curled up in the chair that seemed to be located in the corner of the bedroom.

 

He winced as he gently placed his legs back onto the floor, feeling the blood rush to his cramped muscles, whilst blinking past the lingering sleep as he curiously looks around the room that he was in.

 

The walls were painted a deep blue, but he could see that the colour had started to turn dull. He rotated his neck to ease the ache in his neck and shoulders, and he frowned as he started to realise something.

 

_This wasn’t the room that I was given..._

 

He stops what he’s doing and takes another closer look at the room.

 

The bed that was opposite him was unmade and had grey bedding, the dresser that was to the right of him held a picture of a family portrait and a Polaroid of two young boys.

 

Donghae felt his stomach sink with dread as he slowly stood and began to walk towards the dresser.

 

He could feel his heart starting to pound, and as he reached out to grasp the glass frame of the family picture, he saw that his hands were shaking.

 

He stared at the picture for a few seconds and froze when he heard a soft creak.

 

He turned to look as the bedroom door slowly opened, and shook his head in fear.

 

 _This isn’t real, I’m not really here,_ he chants desperately to himself, and he takes a step back when the door stopped opening.

 

He watches the door with weariness as he feels the fear pulsate through him.

 

He could feel his wolf tensing at being in the bedroom, as well as from the unknown threat that was outside his bedroom door.

 

“Come out, come out wherever you are~” a gruff voice sings from outside his door, and Donghae almost drops the glass frame in fright.

 

He shakily places the picture carefully back onto the dresser and silently tiptoes so that he could hide from the searching male.

 

He was almost to his closet when a cold hand suddenly grabs the back of his neck.

 

His whole body erupts with goosebumps, and he couldn’t prevent the whimper that slipped through his lips.

 

The cold hand tightened, before slowly pulling him backwards.

 

Donghae was shaking almost violently with fear as he felt another hand brush over his stomach, before settling over his pounding heart.

 

A hot breath puffed at his ear and Donghae jerked to get away from it, only to yelp in pain when the hand on his neck yanked him back, keeping him still.

 

“You thought you could hide from us?” the gruff voice from earlier growls in his ear, and Donghae could feel hot tears starting to run down his cheek.

 

“You can never hide from us.” The voice promises, and Donghae clenches his eyes tightly shut as he waits for his punishment.

 

“Donghae?” A soft and caring voice calls out to him, and Donghae gasps at the sound.

 

His eyes fly open to see the room turning quickly as the male behind him roughly turned them to face the new presence.

 

Donghae could smell who it was, and he once again tried to tug himself free, only to be pulled back again.

 

“Kyuhyun,” he whimpered weakly, and he watched as the male stepped from the darkness of the landing and into his room.

 

“Don’t be afraid; you’re going to be okay,” Kyuhyun whispers to him as he slowly walks towards Donghae.

 

Donghae feels the cold hands on him disappear, only to be replaced by Kyuhyun’s warm and caring hands.

 

Donghae grasps them tightly and stares into the warm brown eyes in front of him.

 

 He closes his eyes, and sighs as the other’s warmth seeps into him, calming his heart and erasing his fear.

 

“Thank you,” he whispers softly.

 

 

Kyuhyun watches as the tension in Donghae’s face eases away, and tries to half-heartedly tug his hands free.

 

He smiles tenderly when Donghae refuses to let go.

 

With his right foot, he hooks the chair that he had been sitting on closer to the bed, once he’s settled in the chair again; he squeezes the soft hands in his.

 

“You don’t need to be afraid, I’m here for you,” he whispers soothingly to the sleeping male, and wishes that Donghae could hear his honest words.

 

 

 

“I want him out of there,” a very familiar voice growls, and Donghae frowns at the tone the other is using.

 

He slowly opens his eyes to see that he was in a different room than his dream, which he was greatly thankful for.

 

He didn’t have to question whose room he was in, the smell of the owner was all around him, and Donghae smiled at the comforting scent.

 

“He’s not going anywhere,” Kyuhyun calmly states, and Donghae frowns harder when he hears his twin growl and then a thud.

 

Donghae raises his head slightly to look at the direction the thud had came from, and is surprised to see Kyuhyun standing at his bedroom door, talking through the small gap to a very angry Eunhyuk.

 

The thud came again, and Donghae saw the door move as Eunhyuk tried to push his way in.

 

Kyuhyun didn’t budge at the movement.

 

“He’s my twin, and what I say goes,” his brother growls as he tries to push harder against Kyuhyun’s restraining hand.

 

Donghae almost flies out of the bed when he sees Kyuhyun stick his upper body through the gap.

 

“He’s _my_ mate and what _I_ say goes,” Kyuhyun growls back.

 

“From what I’ve heard you are a pretty shit mate,” his twin snarls cruelly, and it’s then that Donghae frantically gets out of the bed to run at Kyuhyun who has yanked the door open to grab his brother.

 

“Stop it!” he demands, voice unable to rise higher than a soft whisper as he reaches for Kyuhyun.

 

He manages to grab Kyuhyun’s shoulder before the dizziness forces him to lose his balance, and instead of Donghae grasping Kyuhyun, it’s Kyuhyun who’s quickly grasping his swaying form.

 

“You’re not supposed to be out of bed,” Kyuhyun scolds softly as he easily picks Donghae up and takes him back to the bed.

 

“I just got up to fast; I’ll be fine in a minute,” he mumbles as he slowly sits up, and blushes when Kyuhyun helps him into a more comfortable position.

 

“You’ve been suffering from exhaustion and a fever, so you won’t be fine in just a minute,” Kyuhyun informs him, and Donghae blushes harder for a different reason now.

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be a bother,” he whispers in shame as he stares down at the black bedding, and gasps when Kyuhyun grabs his chin gently.

 

He’s forced to meet the other’s disapproving eyes. “I don’t want you to say that ever again. You’re not a bother, and you never will be,” Kyuhyun whispers to him softly, and Donghae’s heart starts to pound at the tenderness of the male’s words.

 

He hears a sound that goes unnoticed by Kyuhyun, but Donghae tears his head free to stare mournfully at his twin’s fast retreating back.

 

“What’s wrong?” Kyuhyun questions him, and glances to see an empty doorway.

 

Donghae bites his lip as he feels tears beginning to well up. “Everything,” he whispers.

 

 

 

Kyuhyun feels his chest tighten at the sight of the tears in Donghae’s eyes, and he hesitantly sits on the edge of the bed.

 

He wants to hug the male, but he’s afraid that it would make the other male uncomfortable, so he settles for holding the hands that were clenched tightly in his bedding, and brushes his thumbs over the skin in soothing circles.

 

“Everything is the way it is because of me,” Donghae whispers brokenly, and Kyuhyun is startled when the male rips his hands from his and tries to get out of his bed again.

 

 “You need to rest, Donghae. You’re still recovering,” he gently restrains the other, and is unnerved to see the tears flowing down the male’s cheeks.

 

“You don’t understand! You don’t know what I’ve done,” his mate whimpers desperately to him before going limp in Kyuhyun’s arms.

 

Kyuhyun just managed to catch the male’s head before it smacked against the bed’s wooden headboard.

 

Kyuhyun is trembling as he lays Donghae down into a comfortable position, and he automatically checks the other’s temperature. He sighs in relief to see that it’s normal, but he frowns at how exhausted the male actually is.

 

But his mind is racing from the broken words that Donghae had uttered.

 

“To see my brothers like this, it’s making me afraid to know the truth of what happened to them.” Sungmin’s voice comes from behind him, startling him.

 

He turns to see that the older male is holding himself as he stares with sad and scared eyes at Donghae.

 

Kyuhyun rises and goes to the male to pull the emotional man into his arms. Sungmin tightens his arms around Kyuhyun’s back, and he can feel the other’s fear seep into him.

 

“Just what happened to them?” Sungmin whispers sorrowfully, and Kyuhyun glances to the door to see the pair of eyes that he’d felt on him, watching them.

 

 “Our past,” Eunhyuk quietly calls, and Sungmin freezes in his arms.

 

Kyuhyun stares into the bloodshot eyes, and he has to drop his gaze at the raw pain that he sees.

 

“I’ll tell you what happened to us,” Eunhyuk whispers.

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

 

 

 

They were in the room that was now Donghae’s, and Eunhyuk was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the bed. Sungmin was directly in front of him, while Kyuhyun stood near the window seat, staring out at the evening sky.

 

"Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a traumatic event,” Eunhyuk reads out loud from the leaflet that Kibum had given them, and he sighs heavily, folding the leaflet back in half, before meeting his brother’s eyes.

 

His brother was trying to hide what he was feeling, and Eunhyuk glanced to look at Kyuhyun, and scowled at the blankness on the male’s face.

 

 _I pity my twin to be mated to someone like him,_ he growls to himself, and felt his wolf agree with him.

 

“Hyukie...” Sungmin calls him softly, and he focuses on his brother rather than the younger male near the window.

 

He feels his stomach fluttering with nerves, his heart starting to pound, and he has to take a calming breath as the realisation of what he was about to talk about starts to sink in.

 

“I don’t know where to start,” he admits after being quiet for a few minutes, and nearly jumps out of his skin when Sungmin grabs his clenched hands that were on his thighs.

 

“Donghae shies away at the mention of our parents, why is that?” Sungmin asks him, and his spine stiffens at the anger that rolls through him.

 

Sungmin notices it straight away. “What did they do to you?” he demands desperately.

 

“Nothing,” Eunhyuk whispers, and when Sungmin tugs harshly at his hands, he snaps his angry gaze to stare into his brother’s brown eyes. “They did _nothing_ ,” he stresses firmly. “They didn’t help us, love us, or protect us. They did nothing!” He viciously spits out and rips his hands away from Sungmin’s loose ones.

 

“Protect you?” Sungmin whispers quietly, but Eunhyuk doesn’t hear him as he continues.

 

“Parents are supposed to love their children, not abandon them. They’re supposed to soothe your worries and fears away, not sit back and let them actually affect you.” He can feel the years of anger and hatred towards his parents beginning to unravel inside him, and he was helpless to stop it.

 

Sungmin grabs his hands, and Eunhyuk freezes at the anger and fear in his brother’s face.

 

“Who hurt you?” Eunhyuk watches the words leave Sungmin’s lips, and he feels an emotion that he hasn’t felt for a long time grow inside of him.

 

“Everyone.” The word breaks towards the end, and even he can hear the despair in his voice.

 

He has to look down as his memories began to emerge.

 

“We were ten when it started,” he whispers, and he doesn’t see anything but his memories that are flashing in front of his closed eyes.

 

“Growing up, it became clear that the pack that we lived with wasn’t exactly nice. By the age of six years old, we had seen enough blood and had heard enough horrific sounds to last us a lifetime,” Eunhyuk tells them as he remembers, playing the memories like a storyboard. “It was common to look out of our window to see some form of altercation going. We were scared to see it, but because we were young, we were safe, but all of that changed when we turned ten.”

 

Eunhyuk drifted off as the voices of the boys in his memories float to him.

 

_Come on, Hyukie, come out and play with us! We’ve been waiting to play you guys for ages, come on out!_

 

He shakes his head violently to chase the unpleasant voices away.

 

“I started being challenged from lower levels who were trying to prove to everyone else that, just because they were on a lower level of dominance and aggression, it doesn’t mean they can’t take someone higher out,” Eunhyuk whispers. “I had seen enough growing up to know what would happen, and used what I had learned to defend myself.”

 

_Eunhyuk shoved the limp male off him and rolled slowly onto his side that wasn’t injured._

_He ignored the jeers from the group of boys that had stopped him on his way home and carefully ran his hand over his ribs to see if the sharp kick that the boy had given him had broken anything._

_He heard the boys leave, and he released the breath he was holding and moaned in pain as the action sent a sharp pain through his chest._

_He ignored the blood that was covering his hands._

“I could handle those fights, it hurt, but they were easy to subdue. It was when we got closer to becoming teenagers and having our first shift did things escalate.” Eunhyuk forces his breathing to remain calm as he digs further into their past, and opens his eyes to see that Sungmin and Kyuhyun were staring at him with dark, unreadable eyes.

 

He knew that what he was about to say next would be hard, and he had to prepare himself for the reactions he would get.

 

“They started to bypass me and go for Donghae,” he begins carefully, watching them. “For two years that had passed, they always remained distant from Donghae. They would taunt him, but they would never harm him because he...he was considered as a prize, and the rules in the pack stated that submissive wolves mustn’t be harmed until they were in their teens.”

 

Eunhyuk swallows at the two males gazes harden, continuing as he tries to keep himself together. “I tried to keep him as hidden as I could. But there weren’t many submissive wolves in the pack, but I did see one when I was twelve, and witnessed what would happen to Donghae once he hit his teens,” he reveals, his jaw tightening as he tries to breathe through the memory.

 

“So when they started to grow more focused on Donghae, the more determined I became to be at my twin’s side.” He winces when a particular memory attacks him, forcing him to relive it again.

 

_Eunhyuk smashed his fist into the fifteen year olds face, and he heard and felt the male’s nose break._

_He booted the male in the chest, shoving him backwards and making him fall onto his butt, while Eunhyuk glanced over his shoulder to check on Donghae._

_He froze when he didn’t see his twin, and frantically spun in a circle until he located him._

_Donghae was being held by a male much older than them, and he could see his brother shaking as the male ran a hand down Donghae’s chest._

_Eunhyuk growled in rage at the action, and took off for his brother._

_“Get your hands off him!” he demanded, and he felt his wolf aid him with its own aggression._

_He spied one of the male’s lackeys coming for him and he blocked the harsh punch that was aimed for his chest before he backhanded the male, not bothering to ease up on his added strength and aggression._

_He hears his twin’s frightened whimper, and snapped his head up to stare in horror as the male tauntingly ran a claw across his brother’s vulnerable stomach._

_“Careful now, Eunhyuk, we wouldn’t want to hurt our little Donghae, would we?” the male smirks, and Eunhyuk watches with narrowed eyes as the male moves to nuzzle his twin’s neck._

_“Let him go,” he demands again._

_“I only want to play with him, Hyukie. I thought your parents taught you how to share.” The male’s words made Eunhyuk growl and take a step closer to them, but he froze when Donghae cried out in pain._

_Eunhyuk stared, transfixed, at the blood that was beginning to seep through Donghae’s shirt from where the male had dug his claw into his side._

_He felt helpless as he watched his twin being dragged away from him and into the house that lived opposite them._

_He let the tears fall as he heard his brother whimper and cry as the door closed between them._

_He fell to his knees and rocked as heard the male’s loud voice come from the room where a window was open._

_“You know the rules, Donghae. Now, let’s have some fun while we can.”_

_Eunhyuk cried out along with his brother as the pain washed through him._

_He had failed._

 

 

“Hyukie?!” his brother calls anxiously, and he snaps out of the memory to focus on Sungmin’s frightened face.

 

“What...?” he asks slowly, and flinches when his brother holds his face.

 

“I never want to see that hollow look in your eyes again, do you understand me?” Sungmin demands, and Eunhyuk nods quickly as he realises what Sungmin had seen.

 

He shuts his eyes as Sungmin puts their foreheads together, and he could feel his brother shaking softly.

 

He wished he could end the discussion there, but he promised to tell them both what happened.

 

He sighed quietly, before launching back into their past.

 

“It seemed the harder I fought, the more pain and humiliation Donghae endured,” he tells them softly. “The only peace he got was when he was locked in my bedroom while his body began to prepare itself for its first shift. But once his shift was over, the more intense our fight for survival became. The day we learned the truth about you, was the day that we began to plan to run away from the pack.”

 

“We were eighteen when we escaped, and ever since then, we’ve been running.”

 

It was silent for a few minutes as Sungmin and Kyuhyun processed his words, and it wasn’t his brother who broke the silence this time.

 

“Donghae said that it was his fault and that everything happened because of him.”  

Eunhyuk pulls away from Sungmin to stare at Kyuhyun hard, and he wasn’t surprised at the unwavering stare he got back.

 

“Why would he think that?” Sungmin asked in confusion, and glances from Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk.

 

“He’s always believed that by being a submissive, he’s ruined our lives,” Eunhyuk explains. “I hate to say it, but it was because of him being a submissive that actually gave us an opening to escape.”

 

As Eunhyuk spoke, he saw the way Kyuhyun was masking his true feelings.

 

“How?” Sungmin asks him quietly, hesitantly.

 

Eunhyuk looked at his brother, and as he spoke the words, he was hit with a rage from Kyuhyun that rivalled his own.

 

Eunhyuk pulled his shocked brother into his arms and watched the enraged Kyuhyun storm from the room.

 

The door shook with the force from bouncing off the wall from Kyuhyun’s rage, and Eunhyuk could feel the sound of it echoing through his thoughts.

 

He rested his head on his brother’s soft hair, his brother still frozen from his words, and took in the lingering scents of the room.

 

He smelt the hint of the bonding scent that was beginning to grow from Kyuhyun as he started to accept his feelings, and smiled sadly. Despite the rage that the other was feeling now, he didn’t leave to run his aggression off; he had left to go be with his twin.

 

How did Eunhyuk know this? His eyes flickered to the open door and he listened as Kyuhyun paced inside his bedroom down in the hall.

 

Because along with the bonding scent, was the smell of pure adoration.

 

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

 

 

 

Kyuhyun shook with rage and fear as he tried to keep his footsteps light so that he wouldn’t wake his mate up.

 

Eunhyuk’s words were still ringing in his head, and he snarled silently at how close he was to losing his control.

 

Throughout Eunhyuk sharing what had happened when they were growing up, Kyuhyun had felt this need inside him begin to grow, the need for retribution.

 

He glanced at the sleeping form on the bed and felt some of his fear drain at the sight of Donghae.

 

He silently crossed the room so that he was beside his bed and reached his hand out to brush the hair from covering the beautiful face.

 

His fingertips tingled at feeling the soft skin, and he had to drag his hand back to prevent himself from cradling the soft cheek.

 

Eunhyuk’s words rang in his head, and he couldn’t stop the distressed whine from escaping him.

 

He slapped his hands over his mouth just as Donghae twitched, and Kyuhyun froze as he saw brown sleepy eyes open to look up at him.

 

Donghae blinked dazedly up at him, and Kyuhyun smiled behind his hands at the cute action.

 

“Kyuhyun?” Donghae’s voice was thick with sleep so it made it sound deeper than normal. 

 

Kyuhyun snarled at his wolf when it started to think inappropriate thoughts.

 

Kyuhyun didn’t trust himself to speak, and nodded his head in greeting instead.

 

“You okay?” Donghae mutters before yawning, and Kyuhyun drops his hands to stare at the male in amazement.

 

“I should be asking you that since you’re the one who isn’t well,” he says quietly.

 

Donghae closed his eyes and hummed in agreement, but Kyuhyun didn’t know what the male was agreeing to.

 

Kyuhyun slowly turned to leave when he realised that Donghae was falling back asleep, only to freeze at the barely audible whisper of, “stay.”

 

He turned to see Donghae was holding a slowly falling hand out to him, and Kyuhyun hesitantly grabbed it.

 

He ignored the tingling that shot up his spine when Donghae intertwined their fingers and tugged him towards the bed.

 

Kyuhyun almost yanked the poor male off the bed due to his sudden burst of panic.

 

He caught the startled male and eased him back onto the bed. His heart was racing as he stared at Donghae’s confused expression, and jumped when the male tugged on their intertwined hands gently.

 

“This is your bed too; it’s only fair that you sleep here,” Donghae murmurs softly, and Kyuhyun was torn from either running from the situation, or to embrace it.

 

 _Don’t be afraid,_ his wolf soothed him.

 

Kyuhyun broke eye contact with Donghae as he eased himself onto the bed and stiffly lay down, leaving a good amount of distance between them.

 

He was acutely aware of Donghae’s thumb rubbing the back of his hand, and he had to recite a Chinese poem in order to distract him.

 

He was halfway through the long, difficult poem when he felt something lean against his right shoulder.

 

He froze as he felt Donghae’s heat seep into his arm and leg as the male shuffled closer against him.

 

He turned his stiff neck to stare at the somewhat peaceful face, and cleared his throat lightly.

 

“Donghae?” he quizzes lightly, and blinked dumbly as Donghae sighs and presses his face against his shoulder.

 

“I can’t sleep well without someone next to me,” he hears, Kyuhyun softens. He watches Donghae drift back off to sleep before he felt the pull on his own eyes.

 

But before he drifted off, Eunhyuk’s words whispered to him one more time.

 

_“The night that we escaped, was the night that someone tried to claim Donghae.”_

 

 

Eunhyuk glanced at the sleeping figure of his older brother and slowly snuck off the bed that they were lying on.

 

Sungmin had refused to leave him, so they ended up staying in the room that Eunhyuk was sharing with Donghae.

 

His brother hadn’t really said anything; he just wanted to be near him, which was fine for Eunhyuk. He didn’t think he could be alone now that he had opened up a part of him that he had closes the day they had ran away.

 

Sungmin sighed suddenly, and Eunhyuk froze and waited to see if his brother would remain asleep.

 

After a few minutes, Eunhyuk relaxed and slipped across the floor to the small duffle bags that they had packed. Moving slowly, he searched in the side compartment and grasped the slightly cold phone from within.

 

Taking one more glance at his sleeping sibling, he quietly made his way to the bedroom door and opened it slowly before slipping through.

 

His footsteps were light as he made his way through the corridor and down the staircase. He paused at the bottom to listen for any signs of someone being awake, before he slipped into the dark kitchen and carefully made his way to the backdoor.

 

He winced at the sound of the lock opening as he slowly unlocked it, and quickly slipped through the small gap he made with the door.

 

The night air was cold, and he breathed in the crisp clean air of being outside of the city.

 

He took his time in navigating his way through the dark, vast backyard, and stopped when he approached the tree line.

 

He glanced back at the sleeping house before venturing further into the woods.

 

He didn’t go far; he just went far enough to ensure he was hidden.

 

He angled himself so that he could see the house still, and eased himself down to sit on the cold forest floor.

 

His hands played with the now warm phone for a few minutes as he calmed his heart. His stomach was fluttering with nerves too, and his body tingled with anticipation at what he was about to do.

 

Somewhere inside of him tried to speak to him, but he shushed it in order to savour this moment.

 

He unlocked the keypad on the phone and typed in a number he knew by heart.

 

He stared at the digits as his thumb hesitated over the call button; he wondered that if he should be doing this.

 

 _It’s been four months..._ his wolf whispers to him, and before he could back out, he presses his thumb down and yanked the phone to his ear.

 

The forest was so quiet and still that the ringing on the phone seemed much louder than it actually was.

 

Eunhyuk started to bite his lip as the ringing continued without any sign of an answer.

 

Then the ringing stopped, and so did his heart.

 

“I told you to never ring me,” a male’s voice scolded him softly, and Eunhyuk closed his eyes as his body warmed at the sound.

 

“Sorry,” he whispers, and he could faintly hear a door locking on the other end.

 

The male sighed softly. “We agreed that it would be me making the contact, not the other way around.”

 

“I was worried,” Eunhyuk admits as he feels the tension in his body slowly leave him.

 

“I didn’t mean to leave it this long,” the male apologises, whispering now, and Eunhyuk felt the tension rush back as he heard the next whispered words, “it’s not a good time at the moment.”

 

“What’s wrong?” he whispers desperately, and he tries to keep the growing panic from out of his voice.

 

Eunhyuk nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud bang come from the other end of the phone.

 

The sound of something muffling the phone echoed in his ear as he strained to listen.

 

“Who are you talking to?” An old but _very_ familiar voice called out, and Eunhyuk froze with fear.

 

“No one, father, I’m just reciting something I read earlier to help me drift off.” The male’s tone was light, and sounded honest.

 

It was silent for few minutes, which felt like a lifetime for Eunhyuk, he didn’t dare breathe when he heard the sound of the phone moving and the sound of breathing coming through the phone.

 

“I love you, and I’ll be in contact soon, okay?” the male whispers thickly, and Eunhyuk gasps into the phone as he hears the tender words.

 

He cradles the phone to his ear and whispers, “I love you too. Please stay safe,” with all the love and longing he felt for the male.

 

“You too,” the male ordered, and Eunhyuk dropped his head as he heard the click of the male hanging up.

 

He felt the tears he had been bottling up starting to sting his eyes, and he dropped his phone in order to push his palms against them.

 

His throat and chest felt tight with the need to vent, but he stayed silent; he always stayed silent.

 

The warmth that he had because of the contact with the male vanishes, and he shudders at how cold the night was.

 

He took in steady breaths in order to calm down his emotions while trying to soothe his troubled wolf.

 

 _I just want to be with him, is it so wrong just to be with my mate?_ Eunhyuk asks to himself as he felt a lone tear escape from behind his hands.

 

 

 

The body next to him shifted slightly before stilling once again.

 

Donghae smiled as he subtly snuggled closer to the male, and opened his eyes slightly to stare at the sleeping face that was turned towards him.

 

Full lips were partly opened, but no sound came from them. The male’s face usually tense was now relaxed as he dreamed; the brown hair that sat perfectly on his head was now ruffled from the pillow.

 

He inhaled deeply, and almost purred at the male’s delicious scent.

 

 _Mine_ , both Donghae and his wolf declare before closing their eyes and joining their mate in slumber.

 

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

 

 

Over the next few weeks, Kangin’s household falls into a new rhythm.

 

He also witnesses three of his werewolves change.

 

Sungmin was now wearing an honest smile, whereas before he would smile to mask what he was truly feeling.

 

He was also never far from his siblings.

 

After Donghae had collapsed, the brothers and Kyuhyun had stayed by the male’s side. They would argue with the male when he wanted to leave Kyuhyun’s bed because of boredom, and it often ended with Kyuhyun kicking both of the older siblings out of his room because he didn’t like seeing Donghae agitated. 

 

Kangin smiled as he remembered how Donghae’s twin threatened that, if Kyuhyun was going to entertain his brother, it’d better not be sexually. Sungmin had just rolled his eyes and shoved his brother towards the direction of the stairs.

 

The second werewolf to change was Zhou Mi, which took them all by surprise.

 

As it turned out, Zhou Mi and Victoria were mates.

 

Sungmin and Heechul were the smuggest out of all of them. They had caught the signs earlier on, and that had been the reason why Sungmin nearly got mauled that day in the kitchen.

 

Hankyung, bless him, was stunned. Kangin laughs out loud as he remembers how pale the male went when Zhou Mi and Victoria shyly told him; his baby brother was starting a relationship that would be with him for the rest of his life.

 

Kangin was highly amused while the male struggled to come to terms with it.

 

Heechul, on the other hand, was very direct in the approval of the mating, a little too direct it seemed.

 

It was enough to embarrass the new couple, but also to snap Hankyung out of his daze.

 

Kangin remembers Leeteuk running into his office, babbling about Hankyung dragging Heechul off into the forest and that the male looked a little upset. He had to reassure his mate that he knew what Hankyung was doing, and when Leeteuk pushed to know, he demonstrated.

 

He was extremely satisfied to see his mate covered in his marks, and even though his mate glared at him for the rest of the day, he knew the male liked it as well.

 

Now, the last werewolf to change was the baby of the pack, Kyuhyun.

 

Kangin had been keeping a very close eye on the male. He had witnessed the whole transition of denying the truth of what Donghae meant to him, his gradual acceptance, and his bursts of fear and lack of confidence.

 

But now he was like a love struck pup.

 

Kangin would smile with pride whenever he saw Kyuhyun and Donghae together. They were just adorable, and despite there being a barrier when it came to physical contact, they were starting to become close.

 

Kangin could read Kyuhyun’s fear of touching Donghae because of the male’s past, and he would frown whenever he would see Kyuhyun’s hand digging into his thighs to prevent himself from touching the male.

 

He would also frown whenever he saw Donghae sigh with disappointment, because he _too_ was scared to initiate the contact himself.

 

Kangin wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on the couple. The two brothers were as well, especially Eunhyuk.

 

Kangin had been trying to figure the male out. He would watch as the male scowled at Kyuhyun, or glare at him when he failed to initiate contact. Kangin had heard the other male argue with both of his brothers about how Kyuhyun was lacking and that he didn’t deserve Donghae. Those arguments often ended up with Donghae storming out of the twins shared bedroom, only to bump into a concerned Kyuhyun who had been lurking not too far away, while Sungmin would reprimand his brother.

 

Kangin had wondered if the male was jealous at first, but then he saw it by pure chance.

 

He had been working late in his office, Leeteuk had fallen asleep in the armchair in the room and he had just put his mate to bed when he heard the soft click of the backdoor opening.

 

He was instantly on alert and had stalked quietly down the stairs to where the intruder was. He had been shocked to smell Eunhyuk leaving the house, and he didn’t hesitate in following the younger male.

 

It was easy to follow the male; it seemed that he was distracted by something to really pay attention to his surroundings, and Kangin frowned slightly when he followed the male into a small thicket.

 

He hung back and made sure he was downwind of the male while he watched as the male moved with familiarity into the thicket. It was silent for awhile, and he was starting to think that the male had actually come out to shift.

 

As he was slowly edging backwards, back to the house, he heard a quiet voice come from the thicket.

 

“ _The person who you are calling cannot take your call at the moment. Please leave a message after-”_ the voice was shut off quickly and Kangin eased back into his crouch as he listened more closely.

 

He felt his whole body shudder at the broken sob that echoed into the night.

 

Kangin could feel the other’s pain and longing, and he knew just _why_ the male was acting the way he was with Kyuhyun.

 

He wanted Donghae to have a mate that he could be close with, whereas Eunhyuk couldn’t.

 

Kangin bowed his head in despair for the distraught male, and silently left the male to be alone with his wolf.

 

He didn’t bother going back to the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him in his office; he went straight to his mate who hadn’t moved an inch on the bed.

 

He lay down beside him and pulled Leeteuk to his chest. As he inhaled the scent of his mate, for a second he wondered just what he would do if he couldn’t by around Leeteuk.

 

His wolf howled in pain at the thought, and he stared sympathetically out of the window that stared out into the forest.

 

_I hope you that you’ll stop hurting soon and that you and your mate can be together again._

 


	24. Chapter 24

 

 

 

“You just need a little bit of salt to flavour...no wait, that’s too much!” Victoria cries out, causing Donghae to jump and add the rest of the salt that was in his hand into the pan of sauce they were making.

 

He turns red with embarrassment, and he slowly looks up at a sighing Victoria.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whimpers softly and stares down at the now useless sauce.

 

He jumped slightly when he felt her hand on his arm, and relaxed when she rubbed soothingly.

 

“It’s alright; it’s your first time, so you’re bound to make mistakes,” she comforts him softly, and he turns his gaze to stare at her.

 

“You don’t need to lie, I know its useless now,” he mutters. “Who would want to eat a sauce that’s too salty?” he flicks his spoon out of the pan and starts to scold himself harsher for his lack of knowledge.

 

He jumped again when he heard Victoria squeak in surprise, and saw that Zhou Mi had snuck up on them from behind and had wrapped his arms around Victoria’s waist.

 

Donghae shoves away the jealously that sparks to life at the display of affection, and grabs the pan handle to yank it off the stove.

 

“I can think of one person who will eat it,” Zhou Mi says brightly before pressing a quick kiss to Victoria’s neck, making her turn a bright shade of red at the action.

 

“Who?” both he and Victoria question, just as the door to the foyer opens, and his brothers and Kyuhyun come in.

 

Donghae smiles at seeing them, more so at seeing the male who was pointedly ignoring Eunhyuk.

 

He didn’t like to see his twin and his mate like that with each other, but Eunhyuk had refused to get off Kyuhyun’s back.

 

Kyuhyun would ignore him to a point before he would snap something to the male, and Donghae and Sungmin would have to step in to cool down the two males.

 

“Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi simply states, and the male focuses on them at the mention of his name.

 

Donghae swallows and drops his head to stir at the liquid while he eagerly listened to Kyuhyun’s approaching footsteps.

 

“What?” the male asks curiously.

 

“Donghae has something to ask you.” At Zhou Mi’s words, Donghae whips his head to stare at the smirking male in astonishment.

 

“Zhou Mi!” Victoria chastises in a hiss, and squeaks again when Zhou Mi presses his lips to her neck in apology.

 

Though, Donghae could tell by the male’s sparkling eyes that he wasn’t sorry at all.

 

“Donghae?” Kyuhyun was beside him now, and Donghae had to keep his hand from shaking at how close they were.

 

“I made this, and, erm, I added to much salt, and I was about to bin it when-” Donghae’s rambling stuttered to a halt as Kyuhyun grasped the hand that was still stirring the sauce.

 

Donghae watched with wide eyes as the male brought the spoon to his lips, to blow gently to cool down the liquid, before moving their hands and popping the spoon into his mouth. 

 

Donghae waits for the distaste to show itself, but when Kyuhyun smiles, and with his free hand, ruffles his hair, Donghae couldn’t stop the massive grin from coming on his face.

 

Kyuhyun gently moves his hand to Donghae’s cheek and brushes it. “I like it,” Kyuhyun compliments proudly, softly. “Once it’s finished, I want a double helping.”

 

Donghae’s completely frozen as he stares into the warm brown eyes of his mate.

 

“Don’t worry about that helping, I can honestly say that you’ll be the only on eating it.” Eunhyuk’s voice snaps them out of the little moment they were in.

 

Donghae almost grabs Kyuhyun’s hand as it retreats from his face, but he forces himself to turn back to the sauce, his cheeks blushing again, but his burning desire to cook came back once again.

 

He misses the way Sungmin and Zhou Mi threaten Eunhyuk with death via their eyes.

 

 

 

After Kyuhyun finishes the pasta sauce that Donghae had made - the others, including his brothers, ate the less salty version of the sauce - Donghae was lazing around in the room that was now Zhou Mi’s and Victoria’s.

 

He was chewing on the question he wanted to ask the female, but he kept backing out.

 

“I can hear your brain working from over here, Donghae,” Victoria teases, and he threw the pillow that he’d been idly playing with at her.

 

He watches as she easily bats the pillow away whilst laughing, her eyes not leaving the fashion magazine that she was reading.

 

He had seen how she was when they first met, and now that she was with her mate, he had seen a massive change in her. He was curious if he could be like that. He was envious that Zhou Mi would randomly come to her to either hug or kiss her, and that she would do the same with ease.

 

He wanted that with Kyuhyun.

 

“Can I ask you something?” he asks quietly, and Victoria glances from looking at the page to stare at him.

 

“Sure, you know you can ask me anything, Donghae.”

 

He takes in a deep breath, and before he could back out, he goes for it.

 

“How are you able to be the way you are around Zhou Mi?” he rushes out. “You used to be terrified of males and would be like me and cower, but now, you’ve not only accepted your mate, you’ve openly let him touch you, and you do the same to him. You even share the same room as him...” Donghae finishes with tone that sounded too jealous for his liking, and he feels his face turn red, so avoids Victoria’s eyes.

 

He heard the ruffle of the magazine being folded and dropped onto the floor, and swallowed as anticipation ran through him.

 

“We’ve both realised that we’re in no danger here. They won’t be domineering to us or force us to do what they want, we feel safe with this pack,” Victoria begins softly, and Donghae nods in agreement.

 

“The way I am with Zhou Mi is because I’ve gotten over my fear,” she tells him. “I’m no longer scared that I’ll get hurt, and he won’t abandon me like my previous boyfriend had...I...I love him.”

 

Donghae feels his heart soften at the tenderness, and he couldn’t help but smile at the expression on Victoria’s face.

 

“And I love her too.” Zhou Mi’s sudden voice comes from the bedroom door, and both of them jumped in surprise.

 

“In order to have a relationship, you need to actually talk about it.” Zhou Mi continues as he comes into the room. “We both discussed what this meant to us, and from there, it came naturally,” Zhou Mi says softly as he heads towards the head of the bed and sits down beside Victoria.

 

Donghae stares as they both reach for each other’s hands and swallows thickly. “I need to speak with Kyuhyun, do I?” he asks hesitantly.

 

“You both have accepted that you’re mates, but what you haven’t discussed is the relationship between you two,” Zhou Mi gently tells him, and Donghae nods in understanding.

 

Donghae startles them both when he dives off the bed and runs for the bedroom door.

 

“Thank you!” he yells as he exits the room and races from down the corridor.

 

_Where is Kyuhyun?_

 


	25. Chapter 25

 

 

 

Kyuhyun was rubbing his wet hair as he walked out of his bathroom, only clad in nothing but a black towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He was heading towards his bed when his bedroom door suddenly slammed open, making him yelp in surprise and drop the towel to stare at the jittery male that was now closing his door.

 

“Donghae?” he questions, stunned, and when the male turns to face him, Donghae stiffens.

 

Kyuhyun felt rather than see Donghae’s eyes on his naked upper body, and he had to remind himself that Donghae wouldn’t be comfortable if he pushed him up against that door to taste him.

 

“S-sorry,” Donghae stutters out, and Kyuhyun steels his shoulders as he forces himself towards his bed, away from Donghae, and threw his white shirt over his still slightly damp skin.

 

“It’s alright, you don’t need to apologise,” he tells the other as he slips the grey bottoms under his towel and pulls up, before removing the towel once he was decent.

 

He was heading towards the laundry basket when Donghae speaks again.

 

“Because we’re mates?” he asks slowly, and Kyuhyun freezes in surprise.

 

This was the first time he’s heard that word come from Donghae’s mouth.

 

“What did you say?” he says in a quiet breath as he locks his eyes with determined ones.

 

“I said, ‘because we’re mates’,” Donghae repeats, a lot more firmly this time, and Kyuhyun enjoys the curl of pleasure that runs through him.

 

“That’s the first time you’ve said that,” he whispers, and he couldn’t help the yearning from comes out into his voice.

 

Donghae moves to step forward, only to falter with hesitation.

 

“Don’t be afraid to come to me,” Kyuhyun encourages softly, and he smiles when Donghae takes that the step forward.

 

“I’ve realised that, in order to get what I want, I need to actually talk to you,” Donghae quietly admits, and it made Kyuhyun’s heart pound in hope.

 

“What do you want?” he asks, and he hopes that what he was thinking was the same thing that Donghae wanted too.

 

Donghae stops just a couple of steps from him and smiles shyly. “I want to be with you.”

 

All of a sudden, Kyuhyun finds himself in front of Donghae and holding the other’s head with both hands.

 

He freezes at his suddenness and expects Donghae to start being afraid of the contact and fast approach, but he feels warm hands slip hesitantly up his back.

 

“Is this okay?” he whispers as he stares down in his mate’s eyes, and he swallows at seeing need in them.

 

 “I’ve always felt safe with you. You’re my mate, and I only want you to touch and hold me,” Donghae whispers, and his hands press against Kyuhyun firmer.

 

“We should discuss this properly,” Kyuhyun groans out as their heads slowly got closer together, the pull between them stronger than ever now.

 

Kyuhyun sees the golden flash in Donghae’s eyes before they returned back to dark brown, and he feels his own wolf answer in kind.

 

“I think you should just kiss me.” Kyuhyun feels the words whisper against his lips, and he gladly does as he’s instructed.

 

 

 

 

Donghae knew it was coming, but he still gasped when Kyuhyun pressed their lips together.

 

His whole body jolts at the contact, his body tingling, and he hears Kyuhyun moan softly, pressing their lips harder together.

 

Donghae clings to the white shirt as Kyuhyun gently leads the kiss, and before long, Donghae was the one trying to take the lead, wanting more.

 

Weeks of pent up frustration suddenly spills between them, and Donghae gasps in shock when his back hits against the wooden door.

 

“Sorry,” Kyuhyun pants out as they part to breathe, but the break is brief because, from out of nowhere, a wave of lust floods through Donghae and he kisses Kyuhyun desperately, surprising him.

 

Donghae moans at the small taste of Kyuhyun and tries to get more, but Kyuhyun’s hands that had been curled around his hair, suddenly pulls him back.

 

“Why?” Donghae moans out desperately, and tries to kiss Kyuhyun again, but his mate wasn’t having any of it.

 

“Donghae, wait, this isn’t right.” At Kyuhyun’s words, it feels like someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him, shocking him.

 

“...What?” he snaps out in a mix of anger and hurt, and Kyuhyun realises what he had said and how Donghae’s taken it.

 

“No, _this_ is right,” Kyuhyun stresses as he nuzzles Donghae’s cheek briefly to calm him. “But not the intensity,” he rushes to add, and Donghae narrows his eyes at the explanation.

 

“Is it wrong for me to want you?” he growls out, and Kyuhyun stares at him in shock at the out-of-character growl.

 

After a few seconds, Kyuhyun breaks free from his shock.

 

“Your wolf is influencing you, your eyes are gold,” Kyuhyun carefully says, and Donghae wants to deny it, but then he feels his wolf’s presence inside him freeze.

 

 _Is what I’m feeling you?_ He questions his wolf, and he feels a wave of sheepishness in reply.

 

 _I got carried away..._ his wolf admits. _But they’re our mate! I just wanted to show them how much we wanted them!_

 

Donghae feels his neck and cheeks grow hot, and he didn’t dare look at Kyuhyun as he drops his hands from the male’s body.

 

“I’m sorry, Kyuhyun, I didn’t mean it,” he whispers in apology, and he jumps when Kyuhyun slams a palm next to his head.

 

He meets Kyuhyun’s angry eyes and whimpers, which only causes Kyuhyun to look angrier.

 

“You never have to submit to me,” Kyuhyun stresses out in a slight growl. “You can do whatever you want to me, just as long as you’re not being overruled by your wolf, especially since this is our first time with each other,” Kyuhyun desperately says, and Donghae can see that he was trying to control his anger.

 

Kyuhyun presses his forehead against Donghae’s, and he slowly brings his hands back up to rub the tension out of the other’s back.

 

“Please don’t fear me, Donghae. It hurts too much,” Kyuhyun whispers brokenly, and Donghae feels tears well up at the hurt and sadness in the male’s voice.

 

“I’m sorry,” Donghae whispers as he fails to stop the tears from falling, and feels Kyuhyun shake underneath his hands.

 

Kyuhyun’s gentle hands wipe the tears from Donghae’s cheeks, and he presses a chaste kiss against to lips.

 

“Never be sorry, Hae, we’ll get there,” Kyuhyun promises, and Donghae kiss back slowly in light kiss in agreement.

 

This time, the kiss was slower and full of learning.

 

It makes them both sigh with contentment.

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

 

 

 

Over the next few days, the relationship between Donghae and Kyuhyun began to blossom.

 

Throughout the day, Donghae would be with Victoria. Victoria and Ryeowook were trying to educate him on cooking, but it was starting to show that maybe Donghae wasn’t the best candidate to have in the running of the kitchen.

 

When he wasn’t trying to help the two chefs of the house, he was with Kyuhyun.

 

It always started with Donghae taking the male a snack in the afternoon, and not leaving the male’s side afterwards.

 

He would watch Kyuhyun work at his desk, and the younger male didn’t mind it since it was always him who would ask Donghae to stay. Even though he didn’t have Kyuhyun’s attention, both he and his wolf were content in just being near the male. He even started to bring a book that Leeteuk had loaned him to Kyuhyun’s bedroom, and he would read that while his mate worked.

 

But once Kyuhyun was done with his work, he would devote his complete attention to Donghae.

 

They would talk for hours on Kyuhyun’s bed, only stopping to consume the dinner that was made by Victoria and Ryeowook, and sometimes by Donghae.

 

It was normal for them to sit next to each other at the dinner table, and they would plate each other’s food while blushing at the teasing they got from Donghae’s brothers.

 

Kyuhyun wouldn’t let the teasing last long before he would turn it around on to Sungmin, and it would end up with the pair of them bickering with the whole table laughing.

 

Donghae loved those moments. Moments that he and his twin never really experienced growing up, and he would smile softly as he listened to the childish insults his mate and older sibling attacked each other with.

 

What Donghae didn’t love, as the days passed, was that his twin had slowly begun to stop smiling.

 

It seemed wrong that, during those moments, he would turn to look at his twin to check on him, and Donghae would only see a shadow sitting next to him as Eunhyuk closed himself off.

 

Donghae couldn’t stop the train of guilt from slamming into him, and he would lose his appetite, causing Kyuhyun to whisper to him, asking why he wasn’t eating, and Donghae would lie and say that he was full.

 

Kyuhyun would always demand an explanation once they returned to his room, but what could Donghae say? That he felt guilty for being with his mate and having their relationship grow, only to witness his brother sink into a depression because he hadn’t seen his mate in months?

 

Donghae is well aware of what happens to werewolves who are denied of their mate.

 

They either turn mad, or they grow suicidal. 

 

Donghae was terrified that Eunhyuk was beginning to slip down the road of taking his own life.

 

He remembers Eunhyuk going through this a few years ago, but instead of being depressed, he was livid.

 

The longest Eunhyuk and his mate had ever been without contact is two months, and it was nearing six now.

 

Donghae was worried.

 

 

 

The creaking of the door caught his attention and drew him from the light slumber he was in.

 

Donghae peaked over his shoulder and sat up in alarm to find that his twin’s body was gone.

 

He slipped from the bed and crept lightly to the door, and slid through the gap his twin made.

 

He just caught the sight of his brother going down the stairs, and Donghae trailed silently behind his brother.

 

He followed him into the foyer and through the kitchen, and watched as his brother very slowly unlocked the back door before slipping through it.

 

 _What is he doing?_ Both he and his wolf question at their sibling’s behaviour.

 

He darts out of sight when Eunhyuk turns to shut the door behind him, but once he was gone, Donghae quickly followed.

 

He didn’t dare open the door wide in case it squeaked, which would not only alert his brother of his presence but also the werewolves that were currently resting, and they would think that it was an intruder.

 

Donghae shuddered at the thought of witnessing their reactions and moved more carefully.

 

After squirming through the small gap, he stumbled out into the dark backyard. He quickly searched for his twin to see him already halfway towards the woods.

 

“Hyukie!” he calls out to his twin’s back, and frowns when his twin carries on walking away from him, heading closer to the forest.

 

He was startled when Eunhyuk suddenly began to run from him.

 

Donghae immediately chased after his twin.

 

His legs immediately protested due to the suddenness, not having been so active lately, but they soon quietened as Donghae burst into the forest behind Eunhyuk.

 

Out of the pair of them, Donghae is a lot faster and agile than his twin, so it made sense that Eunhyuk would hide.

 

Donghae waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the dense forest, and trepidation started to slowly grow inside of him when he failed to pick up on his brother’s whereabouts.

 

He slowly and carefully took further steps into the wood, and kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of his vanished brother.

 

Donghae tried to refrain from remembering the last time he was in a forest, and focuses on his brother.

 

“Hyukie?” he calls out, wincing at how loud it comes out, and he jerks to look behind him when he hears a twig snap.

 

With his heart in his mouth, he doesn’t know to be relieved or angry to see his twin staring at him.

 

“Go away, Donghae.” His brother’s cold voice hurt him more than the words that he orders out.

 

Donghae could feel his throat beginning to tighten as he represses the hurt and guilt that was building inside of him.

 

His brother had spoken with no emotion in his voice, no annoyance of being followed or any reaction to the nickname, there was nothing.

 

Donghae slipped onto his knees.

 

“I’m not leaving you,” he whispers as he stares at the forest floor, his vision turning blurry as the tears well up.

 

“Go away.”

 

Donghae shudders at the tone in his twin’s voice; he wanted emotion, not dominance.

 

He slumps further.

 

“I want to be with you,” he whispers pitifully to his brother, and forces himself to look up to see the blank eyes of his twin.

 

Eunhyuk stares through him, and Donghae wills for his brother or his sibling’s wolf to appear, to show _something_ inside his shell of a sibling.

 

They didn’t.

 

 

 

Kyuhyun blinked up at his ceiling in confusion.

 

He had woken up a few minutes ago feeling twitchy and uneasy, and now he trying to figure what on earth his body was doing while also battling the sleep that still had a hold over him.

 

It was a feeling he wasn’t familiar with, so trying to place the cause was causing him a headache.

 

He sighs heavily and fights his way out of his bed, shoving the duvet off him, but once his feet touched the cool wooden floor, the uneasiness grew.

 

His brain, still sluggish from sleep, let his body carry him through his new morning routine which consisted of wandering to his mate’s bedroom to check on him, gawk at his sleeping face, and leave without his mate or Eunhyuk knowing he was there.

 

His hand reached out automatically and grasped at nothing but air, before grunting softly when he walked into the slightly opened door to Donghae’s room, not really paying attention to the fact that the door should be closed and not open.

 

He quietly entered the room and stared at the bed.

 

It took four beats for his sluggish brain to realise something was very wrong, and when it did, he was flying from the bedroom.

 

He slammed open the closed door to Sungmin’s room, praying to find his mate there.

 

He felt like tearing his hair out when he saw just Sungmin in the bed.

 

“What the hell, Kyu?!” Sungmin groans out as he sleepily sits up to glare at him.

 

Kyuhyun wasn’t going to answer him, but he knew that it wasn’t just his mate that was missing.

 

Eunhyuk was too.

 

“Hae and Eunhyuk are missing.”

 

 

 

Once Kyuhyun had managed to subdue the frantic male, they both began their search.

 

Sungmin was checking the twin’s rooms upstairs; he was in a clearer mind now to answer everyone’s questions, since the racket that they had made woke everyone up.

 

And also because Kyuhyun would get killed if he was the one upstairs since he wasn’t so clear minded, taking over from Sungmin’s panic.

 

His wolf was demanding to be let out to find their mate, and Kyuhyun was already a mess with his own emotions without having his wolf’s added to them.

 

He was tracking the twins scent through the kitchen when he realised where it was taking him.

 

He shoved the partially opened door and froze to sniff for the scent he was looking for.

 

He frowned at how dull it was, meaning that the trail was at least four hours old.

 

He jogged in the direction it was leading him, and with every step he took towards the forest, the more his fear grew.

 

“Hae?!” he called out anxiously once he was in the sunlit forest.

 

He easily sieved through the smells of the forest and latched onto the two scents he was following.

 

He noticed that Eunhyuk had looped around at some point, but Donghae’s was straightforward. 

 

He felt his heart stutter when he caught the scent of blood.

 

“Donghae?!” he shouts out louder this time as he races towards the smell of Donghae’s blood.

 

As he ducks and shoves under branches, the stronger Donghae’s scent became.

 

He reached a thicket and all but shoved himself through it to reach the curled up form of his mate.

 

He instantly grabbed the startled male and pulled him upright so he could hold him.

 

“Kyu?” his mate’s tired voice croaked at him, and Kyuhyun tightened his hold around the male, rubbing the chilled skin in an attempt to warm it up.

 

“You’ll be the death of me,” he whispers, a mix of fear and relief flooding him.

 

He closed his eyes as Donghae’s cold arms wrapped themselves around his back and underneath his t-shirt.

 

“You’re shaking,” Donghae comments quietly.

 

Kyuhyun nuzzles his nose into the soft brown hair while inhaling deeply. “I woke up to find you gone, of course I’m shaking,” he whispers as his is lips brush the cool forehead, before he places a chaste kiss there.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Just...don’t do it again, okay? I thought I lost you,” Kyuhyun admits thickly, and he feels Donghae pull from him to look at him.

 

Kyuhyun frowns at how red his mate’s eyes are, and he grasps the cold cheeks into his palms and gently rubs the dirt from them.

 

“Where’s Eunhyuk?” Kyuhyun questions after realising the male isn’t in the thicket like he was led to believe.

 

The area smells of Eunhyuk, yet the scent is old, more like a few days old.

 

He notices how Donghae’s eyes water and he gently soothes the other by pulling him into an embrace.

 

“He’s gone. He ordered me to stay and walked away from me,” Donghae cries quietly, and Kyuhyun shoves the anger away before it has time to show.

 

 _He ordered around our mate! Just because he’s our mate’s sibling, does not mean he can order him around!_ His wolf growls at him, and Kyuhyun shoves him away too.

 

“Why would he leave?” he asks, and he thinks back to how the other male has been lately.

 

_Sad eyes, snappy remarks, isolation, loss of appetite._

“He’s left to find his mate.”

 

 

 


	27. Chapter 27

 

 

 

 

“Sungmin, can you please stop staring at me? It’s not like I was running away,” Donghae tiredly snaps at his brother, who is currently sitting at Kyuhyun’s desk, eyeballing him.

 

Sungmin narrows his eyes at him slightly.

 

“No, you decided to follow our depressed brother into the forest, argue with said depressant, and then wandered around and injured yourself before crawling into a thicket that Eunhyuk occasionally visits,” Sungmin deadpans, and it was Donghae’s turn to narrow his eyes.

 

“I wasn’t going to pretend to sleep and let him leave without knowing why!” He snaps defensively, and sighs in relief when Kyuhyun comes through the door.

 

“Now, that is what I want to know!” Sungmin demands. He doesn’t seem to care about how Kyuhyun narrows his eyes at him in warning as he passes to sit on the end of the bed.

 

Donghae nudges the male with his foot from under the covers and nods his head to sit beside him.

 

He frowns when Kyuhyun only moves to sit in the middle instead of the top, like where Donghae was indicating.

 

“Though I would like it if you didn’t speak to Donghae like that, I agree with you, Sungmin. Why would he do this? And how come none of us has picked up on the bonding scent on him?” Kyuhyun questions, and Donghae drops his eyes to his injured hands.

 

He fiddles with the white bandages and debates whether or not to answer.

 

  _“Go.”_

_Donghae can’t stop his body from obeying the order, and as he takes steps towards the house, he fights with the submission._

_“Where are you going? Why can’t I come too?!” he yells as he fights the invisible force of dominance before being shoved backwards._

_He loses his footing and his hands reach out to find something to steady him, only to grasp thorns and brambles._

_He hisses in pain as his palms are shredded open as he falls. He watches his twin move to take a step towards him, and Donghae’s heart stops at that slight step._

_He lets out a sob when Eunhyuk turns away from him instead._

_“You can’t come, Donghae, it’s too dangerous.” Eunhyuk’s emotionless voice floats to him._

_“Just...tell me what you’re going to do. Please,” he begs, and he really doesn’t expect an answer because his twin is already walking away from him._

_“I’m going to save them. Him.”_

_He freezes when he catches the whispered words that held the emotion of agony._

“Hae?” Kyuhyun whispers softly, and Donghae jumps when Kyuhyun’s hand rubs his cheek gently, wiping away the tear that had unknowingly escaped.

 

“Eight and a half years ago, Eunhyuk found his mate,” Donghae reveals. “He...they were terrified of people finding out because the person he’s mated with, in the pack we lived with, he was in a higher class than us. Due to how violent the pack is, naturally, if it had gotten out that Eunhyuk was mated to him, Hyukie would have been killed.”

 

Donghae took a calming breath and held Kyuhyun’s hand to his cheek, using that has an anchor so he wouldn’t lose himself in his memories.

 

“Their relationship was never smooth sailing,” he admits in a whisper. “They had to be overcautious and vigilant in order to keep what they had hidden. Hyuk’s mate was helping us plan our escape, and on the night that it happened, he and Hyuk were forced to make a choice.”

 

“It was Hyukie who ordered him to stay, whereas, his mate was adamant on coming with us. But if he came, it would’ve made it a whole lot worse. I pleaded with him, and Hyuk ordered him to stay.”

 

Donghae paused for a bit, before smiling and laughing slightly as he remembered.

 

 “He managed to find a loophole,” he reveals fondly. “He helped us escape by being in his wolf form. He had surprised us at first, Eunhyuk even went to attack him, ignoring his wolf who had been screaming not to attack his mate, but Hyuk’s mate easily dodged him. Needless to say, Eunhyuk was angry and feeling guilty at the same time. They had argued, well more like Eunhyuk yelled at the wolf while said wolf moaned and whined in return.”

 

Donghae’s smile and humour evaporated instantly as he whispered the last part, “their goodbye was too painful.”

 

It was quiet for a few minutes as Donghae shoves his memories from him while Sungmin and Kyuhyun absorb what he’s just told them.

 

But one memory refused to be shoved away.

 

_Donghae quickly glances around him and he nods to his twin before they both dive to run across the small pathetic excuse of a stream that separated the two sides of the pack territory._

_He could feel his twin’s excitement and hurry, because it was exactly the same for him. This part of the area where all of the higher class of the members lived was safe, but all four of them still took precautions._

_It was a small clearing they were heading to, and it was well hidden in the forest, and it was only by chance that Eunhyuk’s mate knew of it._

_Donghae could see the clearing coming up and he had to control the urge to run._

_His twin, on the other hand, ran straight for the opening._

_Eunhyuk’s slender build darted effortlessly over the forest floor and Donghae smiled when he saw a taller and broader male step into the opening of the clearing._

_He politely looked away when the couple greeted each other, and he looped around so he could give them some much needed privacy._

_He smiled when he smelt the scent of their fourth member and shook his head when he saw the fourteen year old boy meeting him on his little loop around._

_“You would think they’d tone down the sounds,” the fourteen year old jokes, and Donghae laughs whilst ruffling the teenager’s bouncy brown hair._

_He grins madly when the teenager swats his hand away and tries to correct the mess Donghae had done._

_“You’re just jealous, I bet you wouldn’t be complaining if it was you with that girl from school, what’s her name, Amber?” he teases, and laughs loudly when the boy punched him in embarrassment._

_“Not cool, hyung, not cool,” the boy huffs, and Donghae rolls his eyes at the pout and puffy cheeks the other was doing._

_The entered the clearing from the opposite end and both noticed the absent males._

_Donghae swotted at the teenager for making an inappropriate comment about the absence and the boy danced out of harm’s way._

_“Come on, hyung, you were thinking it too,” the boy grins before plonking himself onto the soft grass._

_Donghae pulls a disgusted face and joins the boy. “Why would I think that about my twin? And not to mention the other one is your step brother.”_

_Donghae smiles in victory at the horrified look that spawns across the male’s face._

_They continue to try to make the other one more disgusted, and they get so caught up in their little game that they fail to notice two presences silently stalking them from behind._

_It wasn’t until they pounced on them, making them scream in fright, did they notice the two people that they were gossiping about._

_“You’re both perverts, and we have the perfect punishment for your gutter brains,” Hyuk teases them, and they both instantly freeze._

_Hyuk’s mate moves to grab them, and Donghae grabs the wrist of the younger male and they both take off before the other male could grab them._

_Immediately the males chase after them, and while Donghae was fast, the younger male beside him wasn’t as fast as him._

_They both got caught, and the punishment began._

_The clearing lit up with the sounds of Hyuk and his mate laughing as they tickled their poor siblings, while said siblings pleaded for the punishment to be over with._

_Donghae couldn’t have been any happier, or have felt so much like a family unit._

_This was home._

 


	28. Chapter 28

 

 

Donghae glanced at Kyuhyun who was working at his desk; the sound of the male’s fingers taping quickly into the laptop was strangely comforting.

 

He was reading the leaflet that he had found in Eunhyuk’s belongings. When he had found it in his twin’s belongings, and from the way Kyuhyun and Sungmin eyeballed him, he was waiting for one of them to bring it up.

 

But because of the way things were currently, the subject wasn’t touched upon.  

 

When Donghae and the others went through his room, they found out that Eunhyuk had taken a small amount of money, a change of clothes, and his phone. Other than that, everything else was still in Donghae’s room.

 

Well, it shouldn’t be called Donghae’s room now, since for the past three days since his brother leaving, he had been sleeping in Kyuhyun’s room.

_Three days_ , Donghae thought to himself desperately.

 

No form of contact has been made from Eunhyuk yet. Donghae and Sungmin have rang him, only for it to go to either voicemail or to, ‘the person you are calling is not in a serviceable area, please try again later.’

 

It was starting to play havoc on the two males.

 

Sungmin had spent all of his time either at the clinic or searching the city, even though Donghae had told him it was pointless.

 

When Eunhyuk didn’t want to be found, he was very hard to track down.

 

It was one of the reasons why they had managed to drop off their old pack’s radar over the years.

 

Donghae, on the other hand, was picturing all sorts.

 

He was picturing the pack finding Eunhyuk and forcing him to return with them, without Donghae ever knowing.

 

He pictured Eunhyuk finding the two males he had set out to find, but the years have made the two males change, and with the pack they were forced to stay with, Donghae was terrified that they might not be the same no more.

 

He was driving himself insane.

 

 

 

“Still no word?” Leeteuk asks Kyuhyun quietly as they both work at the kitchen island.

 

Kyuhyun shakes his head sadly as he makes Donghae a snack. It’s been nearly a week now, and the household was starting to grow more and more worried.

 

Kyuhyun had started to watch his mate and Sungmin like a hawk.

 

Sungmin still went out during the night, and would come home looking more frustrated and worried than he had when he left during the evening. Kyuhyun would ignore the elder’s demands to be left alone and Kyuhyun would force the male to eat something.

 

Kibum was keeping a close eye on Sungmin during the day at work, and he had mentioned to Kyuhyun yesterday that he had to lock the male in his office because he was that exhausted.

 

Kyuhyun sighed as he cut the sandwich he was making for Donghae.

 

His mate was also going down the route of not eating because he was too focused on his missing sibling.

 

It had started on the fifth day, and he refused to come down for meals and he would sit on the window seat that was in the room the twins had shared, just staring out into the forest.

 

Kyuhyun was scared at how to handle the situation, but when Donghae refused to eat three meals in a row, despite the soft rumbling in his tummy, Kyuhyun’s fear vanished and determination replaced it.

 

Unlike his older brother, Donghae would eat, but he just didn’t want to. When Kyuhyun questioned why, he was immediately sad at his mate’s explanation.

 

_“Because it seems wrong that I’m having these delicious meals, whereas Hyukie is probably just eating snacks...if that.”_

 

“So, Kibum has banned Sungmin from the clinic now?” Leeteuk confirms as he finishes making the hot drink that Kangin had asked for.

 

Kyuhyun nods. “I think Sungmin is aware of what he’s doing, but like Donghae, he feels compelled to suffer along with his absent sibling.”

 

“Those three can never have something go easy for them it seems,” Leeteuk says more to himself than to Kyuhyun, and Kyuhyun winces at how he hadn’t made life easy for Donghae when he had first arrived.

 

 _It’s in the past now, things are going along fine with you two now,_ his wolf soothes as he says goodbye to the elder, leaving the room with Donghae’s snack.

 

 Kyuhyun starts to think of the progress that he and Donghae had made, and frowns.

 

 _We’re still not what you would imagine a mated couple to be,_ he points out unwillingly. _I mean, look at Zhou Mi and Victoria, they’ve only been together a little while and you would think they’ve spent a lifetime together._

 

He feels his wolf being hesitant to agree, and he sighs softly. “I know we’ll get there; I just want to do more for him, show him how much I care about him,” Kyuhyun says to himself softly.

Kyuhyun enters his bedroom, expecting to see Donghae still sitting at his desk browsing through his laptop.

 

What he didn’t expect was the usual shy Donghae to grab the plate that held his snack from him, dropping it carelessly onto the dresser, and throw himself at Kyuhyun.

 

Both Kyuhyun and his wolf froze in shock at how quick it happened, unable to react.

 

Donghae’s arms tightened around his neck and he reached up to snuggle his face into Kyuhyun’s neck, and Kyuhyun could feel the male’s lips brushing over his suddenly flushed skin.

 

“Hae?” Kyuhyun whispers huskily, need instantly pooling in his gut, he shudders when Donghae pressed a firm kiss over his erratic pulse.

 

“You’ve done so much for me already, Kyu,” Donghae whispers against his neck as he continues his nuzzling, and Kyuhyun could feel his body flush for a different reason.

 

“Y-you heard?” he chokes out in embarrassment, and when Donghae nods, Kyuhyun tries to pull away from the male.

 

Donghae tightens his hold on him. “Don’t be embarrassed to tell me what you think or feel, Kyu.”

 

Donghae pulls back so that he could stare into Kyuhyun’s eyes, and he swallows at the mixture of emotions in his mate’s eyes.

 

“Donghae,” Kyuhyun whispers as he cradles the male’s face and brings their faces together so their lips could passionately meet.

 

Through the act of kissing, they both, for the first time, felt the bond that connected them, open.

 

They both froze at the sensation, and slowly opened their eyes, their shock and curiosity reflected in, not just their eyes, but also through their special bond.

 

 _“Kyuhyun?”_   He could hear Donghae’s hesitantly call, and through that call, Kyuhyun was able to see and feel, not just Donghae, but also Donghae’s wolf.

 

Kyuhyun’s wolf immediately jumped forwards through their bond, a sudden rush of desire and possession following it, and Kyuhyun shoved them both away from Donghae.

 

Kyuhyun ran shaking hands through his hair as he tried to calm down from the sudden emotions that were brought to life when his wolf had tried to go through the bond.

 

His wolf, on the other hand, was furious at the sudden withdrawal from their mate, and Kyuhyun felt his skin itch and tighten at his wolf’s anger.

 

 _You’re an idiot, Kyuhyun!_ His wolf rebukes him harshly. _You need to let me inside Donghae, just like how Donghae needs to be with you!_

Kyuhyun ignores how that statement could have been taken in a not so innocent way, and glances to see how Donghae was coping.

 

The male’s eyes were closed, and a look of pure concentration and understanding was set in his face.

 

Kyuhyun swallowed as the male’s brown eyes slowly flickered open.

 

“Our bond is open now.”

 

 

 

Leeteuk blinks up at him blankly, before they widen in surprise and wonder.

 

“Your bond has just opened?” he confirms, and Kyuhyun nods stiffly while Donghae voiced the affirmative.

 

They were in Kangin’s office, and while they only had meant to seek out Leeteuk, they should’ve known that Kangin wouldn’t be far from the male.

 

Kyuhyun was standing next to the chair that held a sitting Donghae, but his hand was laid softly on his mate’s shoulder, while his fingertips traced nonsense shapes over the male’s bare skin.

 

The bond that had opened up fifteen minutes ago felt like it had vanished.

 

Leeteuk glanced to Kangin, and Kyuhyun noticed the way the male was watching both him and his mate.

 

Kyuhyun tightened his grip on Donghae’s shoulder slightly as the older male’s eyes stayed on him.

 

“I thought that your bond opened up a while ago?” Leeteuk tilted his head in confusion, and Kyuhyun frowned at the words.

 

Upon seeing his frown, Leeteuk explained. “I thought that, since you two were closer now, it meant you had opened up the bond between you both.”

 

Kyuhyun shook his head. “We haven’t felt anything like that until tonight,” he tells them, and he sees Donghae nod in agreement.

 

“Then, why tonight?” Leeteuk asks to no one in particular, and Kyuhyun watches as Kangin rubbed a hand up and down his mate’s back.

 

It was Kangin who answered Leeteuk’s question.

 

“The lack of contact at the beginning delayed their bond from opening.” As he spoke, Kyuhyun jolted at how he was reminded, once again, of how he had first acted towards his mate.

 

Donghae must have felt his jolt and guilt, because the male grabbed a hold of his hand and squeezed it gently.

 

Kangin carried on without showing any reaction to Kyuhyun’s guilt. “When you find your mate, the first thing you do is establish contact and a relationship. You acknowledge the mating, and once that happens, the unique bond that us werewolves have, opens. The more you engage with your mate, the stronger the bond becomes.”

 

“What happens to a bond that hasn’t been opened in a long time?” Donghae asks quietly, and Kyuhyun feels sympathy for his mate’s concern over his twin.

 

Leeteuk looks worried and glances at Kangin for the answer as well. Kangin take a few minutes to answer Donghae’s question, and Kyuhyun can see that his alpha and his alpha’s mate conversing with one another through their bond.

 

“It really depends on the werewolf, Donghae,” Kangin begins gently, and Kyuhyun steps closer to his tensed mate. “If a bond hasn’t been open in a long time, it might just take a simple touch of skin between the two mates for it to reopen. But, if it hasn’t been open for a _long_ time, the relationship between the two mates will have to re-grow, and only maybe then the bond might reopen.”

 

Kangin looked away at the lone tear escaping from Donghae’s eye.

 

Kyuhyun was immediately kneeling in front of his distressed mate, cradling the male to him.

 

His heart was in pain as he felt the tears drop onto his shoulder, wetting his sweater.

 

“Hae, come on, you don’t know if that will happen to Eunhyuk,” he consoles him as he rubs his hand up and down the male’s back.

 

“Kyuhyun is right, Donghae. Eunhyuk could be fine.” Leeteuk’s calm and gentle voice sounds from behind Kyuhyun.

 

But Donghae didn’t get to speak, because just after Leeteuk had spoken, the sound of Donghae’s mobile rang from his pocket.

 

The entire room went still as the object that Donghae had been carrying everywhere with him for the past week continued to ring.

 

The bond had opened slightly when Kyuhyun embraced Donghae, so he was able to get a glimpse into his mate’s mind, and he swallowed as the pure fear and panic rolled into him.

 

Slowly, Donghae retrieved the phone from his pocket and hit the answer button, before placing it to his ear.

 

Everyone in the room was hit with the same emotion as the call was connected and they heard the desperate and pained words come through.

 

“Hae, I need your help.”

 

 

 

Donghae shoved the medical supplies at his brother, watching as he quickly packed the duffel bag, and waited impatiently for his brother to leave the office he shared with Kibum at the house.

 

He needed to get to his brother.

 

Once Sungmin nodded that he had everything, Donghae was off like a shot to the garage where he knew his mate, the pack’s alpha and his own mate, were waiting for him and his brother.

 

He slipped into the backseat and placed the bag onto his lap, his hands gripping it tightly, protectively.

 

Kangin was waiting in the driver’s seat, and Leeteuk was beside him, setting up the satellite navigation so that they could find his twin quicker.

 

Sungmin was on the phone as he entered the garage, and Donghae heard Shindong’s name being mentioned and knew that his brother was directing the male to the house.

 

He didn’t have to wait long to hear the somewhat familiar sound of Shindong’s car waiting outside of the house.

 

“Shindong and I will tail you guys!” Sungmin calls out as he jogs over to the black bulky vehicle Donghae was sitting in.  

 

Donghae pushes down his worry for his brother, he knew he would be safe with Shindong, it was his twin he should be worrying about.

 

Kangin nodded and Leeteuk quickly rambled off the location that Eunhyuk said he was at, and Sungmin glanced to stare at Donghae, and Donghae vowed his face to remain clear so that his brother wouldn’t decide to order him to stay behind.

 

Sungmin turned and ran from the open garage and towards Shindong’s car.

 

 _“He wouldn’t have ordered you to stay, Hae.”_  His mate’s soft voice comes through the bond as Kyuhyun slips in to sit beside him.

 

For a brief second, he allowed the sound of his mate’s voice inside his mind to calm his rapid thoughts, and let him breathe in the security that he felt from Kyuhyun.

 

 _“Hae?”_ Kyuhyun’s worry floated through the bond to him, and he opened his eyes that he hadn’t realised had closed.

 

He turned to face his mate, and Kyuhyun instantly cupped his face before pressing a light, comforting kiss to his parted lips.

 

“Everything is going to be fine.” He felt Kyuhyun whisper against his dry lips, and Donghae couldn’t help the soft whimper from escaping him.

 

He squeezed his mate’s hand, and then they were on their way.

 

 

 

The streets were dark and almost empty as they sped through the different city to gain access to the other side that would lead them into the country and further towards Donghae’s past.

 

Donghae couldn’t stop the fear from growing the more closer they got towards their destination. He didn’t like how things started to seem familiar to him the more they progressed, he didn’t like the way his senses began to recognise things.

 

 He didn’t like the fact that he might have to face the pack that he and Eunhyuk had run away from.

 

His phone rang and he instantly had at his ear. “Hyukie?”

 

“Please tell me you’re almost here.” His twin’s desperation hit him once again with a force of a speeding truck, and he had to remember not to lose it.

 

He glanced though the front window, and despite the blurred scenery, he knew exactly where he was.

 

“Ten minutes, Hyukie,” he promises. “We’re ten minutes away,” he tries to reassure his twin, but with his own panic, fear, and desperation, he didn’t know if he did a good enough job.

 

Either way, the phone line went dead, and that only made Donghae go even more insane.

 

_Hyukie, hold on. Just please, hold on._

 

 

 

“We’re here!” Leeteuk almost shouted in relief, and Donghae was out of the car before it had even stopped.

 

He ignored the way his mate called his name in fear as he darted into the tree line and began to search for his brother.

 

He shoved the branches and bushes aside, and stumbled clumsily through the trees as he followed the scent of his twin, and also the smell of blood.

 

He stumbled to a halt at the scene he comes across, and he’s glad that his mate had been frantically following him because Kyuhyun caught him just in time.

 

“Hyukie?” he whimpered, and let his brain soak up what he was seeing.

 

Three bodies were huddled together, and even though some of the moonlight was being masked by the cover of the trees, he was able to see the state they were in.

 

His twin was filthy and bruised, and he looked a lot thinner than he had been a few days ago.

 

Donghae knew he must’ve been in his wolf form nearly all the time in order to have lost that much weight.  

 

Beside his twin was a male, whom he hadn’t seen in years, and hasn’t really changed a bit.

 

Donghae knew that if the lighting was better he’d see dark brown, nearly black, hair matted with dirt and sweat. The male’s build was broader and taller than both he and Hyukie, but that wasn’t new, the male had always been bigger than them. He knew the male’s eyes were a deep brown that were always serious in front of the pack they lived with, but when it was just the four of them, they would soften and become childish.

 

The male was hunched over the last body, and Donghae felt the breath knock out from him. 

 

While searching, he had smelt it, he knew there was blood, but had he desperately denied it to be the person he cherished.

 

Hyukie’s mate was pressing his palm securely over the smaller male’s chest, whilst his other hand, as well as his twin’s, was covering the male’s stomach.

 

The bloodied shirt that belonged to Eunhyuk was being held against the stomach, and Donghae could see that there was fresh blood still pumping out.

 

“Henry!” Donghae cried helplessly, and stumbled towards the three males.

 

As he collapsed beside the younger male, Donghae was amazed to see the male was still conscious.

 

Ignoring Henry’s spilled blood; he grasped the slightly rough hand and squeezed tightly.

 

“Donghae?” his name was barely loud enough for him to hear, but it still brought tears to his eyes at the familiar voice.

 

“Shh, you’re going to be okay, help is here. You’re going to be fine,” he promises, and leans down to place a light kiss on the male’s cold forehead.

 

Despite a huge blood loss and the pain the male was feeling, he still managed to weakly scrunch up his forehead.

 

“Hyung,” Henry whined, and Donghae laughed weakly at the old reaction.

 

He heard Sungmin and Shindong burst onto the scene a lot more gracefully than he had, and he dazedly listened as both of them worked on stabilising Henry.

 

“What’s his name? Henry? Right, Henry, I need you to stay awake for me, okay? Talk to Donghae, but remain awake, okay? I’m going to give you something for the pain, just hold on a bit longer,” Shindong’s tone was free of panic, and full of calm and security.

 

“Cause of injuries?” Sungmin asked, and Donghae tuned into that conversation.

 

"Multiple gashes to chest from a direct claw, and from what I can feel, a few cracked ribs, but the main worry is his shredded stomach. I don’t think he has any severe organ damage, but his healing rate is much lower than normal. His blood isn’t clotting and his healing agents haven’t kicked in yet,” Hyuk’s mate relays with certainty, but Donghae was still alarmed that Henry hadn’t started to heal yet.

 

His brother and Shindong thought the same.

 

They worked quickly to stop the wounds from spilling more blood, but even Donghae could tell that Henry wasn’t safe yet.

 

The younger male was far too pale, and even though Donghae had snapped at him to remain awake, the male’s eyes slipped shut, causing Donghae to panic.

 

“Henry, wake up!” he yells frantically, and that drew everyone’s attention.

 

Sungmin dived to check his pulse, and Donghae didn’t like the way his brother’s expression paled.

 

“We need to get out of here, Shindong, he’s fading.”

 

 

 

Kangin eyed the dark road that lay ahead of him. The others were almost ready to leave; the injured pup was securely in the back of his car.

 

Shindong and Sungmin were finishing the final touches to the makeshift ambulance, with Sungmin driving Shindong’s car as Shindong rode in Kangin’s.

 

Donghae, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, and Eunhyuk’s mate would be leaving with Sungmin.

 

While the others had rushed to find Eunhyuk, Kangin had remained with the cars along with Leeteuk.

 

His wolf was warning him, and even though he couldn’t see or hear anything threatening, he listened to his wolf.

 

The others yelled that they were ready, and Kangin narrowed his eyes at the slight movement his watchful eyes picked up.

 

_Found you._

 

 


	29. Chapter 29

 

 

 

Eunhyuk backed from out of the bulky vehicle and closed the door on Shindong working to keep Henry alive.

 

He winced as he turned and limped to where his mate was standing in the middle of the road, but he didn’t click on why until he felt the cold eyes on him.

 

Eunhyuk glanced up at the road with a feeling of dread.

 

From out of the darkness, a line of four males started to walk slowly down the road towards them.

 

Not everyone noticed the males, but as his mate quickly and silently slipped to his side, shielding him, he noticed Kangin watching the oncoming males with narrowed eyes.

 

Eunhyuk knew who they were and was grasping his mate’s hand as he glanced around frantically for his siblings.

 

He saw Kyuhyun marching straight for an un-suspecting Donghae, whom was talking to their older brother beside Shindong’s car.

 

He saw Leeteuk flanking his own mate, his whole body tense with the need to protect.

 

“Hyuk,” his mate whispers soothingly into his ear, and he feels the tension that had locked up his body slip away at the soothing tone.

 

He lets the male push him backwards more, so that his mate was shielding him completely.

 

He didn’t like it, but he saw Kyuhyun was doing the same thing to Donghae and Sungmin.

 

Eunhyuk felt his heart crack at the sight of his twin shaking in fear, and he was grateful that Sungmin was trying to keep him calm.

 

He never should’ve asked for his twin to come here.

 

 

 

Kangin watched the four males come to a stop; they weren’t close to them, nor were they too far from him and his pack.

 

He waited for them to speak.

 

He watched as every pair of eyes ran over his pack, and he had to lock in the growl that threatened to escape when they lingered for too long.

 

The tallest one of them stepped forward to speak.

 

“It’s not every day we have a pack come and visit our neck of the woods,” he says loudly. “I should say that it’s almost rare for it to happen.”

 

Kangin notes the distinct sound of the wolf in the male’s voice and also took in the shade of the male’s eye colour. Kangin has learned throughout the years that there were packs that lived in isolation because they were too close to their wolves.

 

He knew that the rules of their world didn’t necessarily apply to these types of packs.

 

The unknown male in front of him began to smirk at him.

 

“You have not only stepped into our territory, but you’ve also decided to claim some things of ours.” Kangin felt a wave of anger and distain at how the male referred to the men behind him as ‘things’.

 

Without taking his eyes of the male, his hand went into his pocket and retrieved the car keys from inside and he threw the keys at his mate. “Start the car; we need to get the pup medical attention.”

 

He listened to Leeteuk follow his orders, and tilted his head slightly at the flash of anger that flickered through all four males.

 

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” the tallest male growls out, and Kangin pretends to frown.

 

“You just heard me say what I’m doing,” he calmly says, to the other four males’ annoyance.

 

“They are ours,” a second male speaks up whilst stepping forwards, his anger making his body vibrate slightly.

 

Kangin chuckled. “And yet, they called _my_ pack for help. Besides, I’m well within rights. I’m currently standing in an unclaimed area, they were found in this area, and I am allowed to help them.”

 

He didn’t even flinch when the second male went to lunge at him but was stopped by the first male whose face was eerily blank.

 

“Help them, yes, claim them, no. You will return them within one week,” he states, and when the second male tries to argue, he backhands the male so hard that he falls to the ground.

 

Kangin steels his spine at the sudden violence, and he soothes his shocked mate through their bond.

 

However, he can’t do anything to help Donghae.

 

The male’s attention snaps to the whimper that Donghae makes, and Kangin retreats without once taking his eyes off those hungry eyes.

 

He can hear Kyuhyun growling in warning at the threat, and Sungmin calming his distressed sibling as they move to get into Shindong’s car.

 

He checks around him to see that he’s the only one remaining outside, and grabs the door handle.

 

“One week, Kangin.” The male’s voice is pure wolf now, and Kangin narrows his eyes at the order, his own wolf growling.

 

“Do not order me around, Mutt. You are not an alpha; do well to remember that in the future,” he snarls, and smirks in pleasure when all four of them flinch at the dominance in his voice and the wave of it that he lets free to strengthen his words.

 

He yanks the door open and immediately slams it shut. He waits until Sungmin pulls away first, before he turns the car to follow.

 

He never once takes his eyes of the line of men, not until they disappear from his sight.

 

 

 

“Siwon, hold still, you need stitches and Sungmin can’t do that if you don’t refuse to stop moving!””

 

Kyuhyun can hear his mate’s twin scold the male from the backseat, and he glances into the rear-view mirror to see Eunhyuk’s mate holding his breath as Sungmin attends to the gaping wound on his shoulder.

 

He returns his attention to the road that is leading them back into the city and feels through his mind for the sliver of bond that he and Donghae had opened.

 

He nudges it gently, and is caught so off guard by the male’s thoughts and feelings that he accidently swerves the car.

 

All three males in the backseat curse him immediately, and Kyuhyun mutters an apology, but his mind is too occupied on the scattered thoughts of his mate. He glances at the closed eyes of his mate and reaches out to him, but pulls his hand back and places it onto the gear stick.

 

He sighs, feeling absolutely useless.

 

He jumps slightly when he feels warm and still shaking fingers brush over his hand, and he instantly grasps it and rests their hands on his thigh.

_“It’s not just you who feels useless, Kyuhyun,”_   Donghae whispers sadly through his mind, and Kyuhyun squeezes the trembling hand in comfort.

 

 _“You’re not useless, Hae. You just need to start healing, and I’m going to be there every step of the way.”_ He lets his love follow his promise, and he can feel Donghae starting to gain control over his memories that those men had brought up.

 

 

 

The door to his office opens and he looks up to smile at his mate.

 

Leeteuk slips into the room and Kangin pushes his chair back slightly so that he can bring the male to sit on his lap.

 

Leeteuk wraps his arms around his neck and presses a gentle and welcoming kiss against his waiting lips.

 

“How is the pup doing?” He asks whilst tracing a pattern on his mate’s lower back.

 

Leeteuk sighs and presses against the slight tickle. “He’s still stable. Shindong has just left; he said to contact him if anything happens. Meanwhile, Kibum and Sungmin are rotating shifts. Shindong also mentioned that he’s going to ask his contacts about Henry’s... condition.”

 

Kangin noticed the pause at the end and glances to look into the eyes that were full of worry and were directed at his open laptop.

 

Kangin didn’t stop the male from leaning closer to read the email that he had open.

 

Leeteuk began to read out loud:

 

_“I have been informed that you are housing some members from my pack. I understand that you felt obligated to help, since you it was asked from you, but I must insist that you send them back home._

_They are very important to my pack, and their absence has been greatly noticed and missed._

_It has also been brought to my attention that you are also housing Lee Donghae and Lee Eunhyuk._

_These two had went missing eight years ago, and we’ve been searching for them ever since._

_I would really appreciate it if you would also return them home.”_

 

Kangin wraps his arms around his shaking mate and whispers soothing words.

 

“He’s speaking about them like they are nothing but an object!” Leeteuk seethes, and Kangin nods in agreement, his eyes fixated on the email.

 

He raised his hands to his laptop and begins to type, his mate’s eyes watching every word being written.

 

“Kangin...” Leeteuk whispered, and he could pick up the uncertainty and fear in the word.

 

 He felt Leeteuk tense when he hit the ‘send’ button, and he nuzzled his nose into the male’s smooth neck.

 

“Are you sure about this?” his mate’s whispers, just as his email box beeps with a new message.

 

He’s already expecting the words, and when he opens it, Leeteuk reads them out anyway.

 

_“As you wish. You have six days left.”_

 

 

 

“I would love to say you’ve changed, Hae-hyung, but to be honest, you really haven’t.”

 

Donghae scoffs at Henry’s words and lightly shoves the male’s leg with his foot that was resting on the edge of the bed.

 

He got a surprisingly firm shove to his shoulder in return, and he glowered at the younger male that was supposed to be resting.

 

“You look more like a chipmunk now than you did when you were fourteen,” he retorts, and dodged the hand that was aimed at his shoulder whilst laughing.

 

“You suck. I don’t know why I’ve missed you for all of these years,” Henry pouts, and Donghae’s face softens into a smile at the old action.

 

Henry sees his sudden caring expression and blushes while trying to look anywhere but at Donghae. Donghae grasps the rough hands that showed the years of playing violin and squeezed while looking down at them.

 

“I’ve missed you too,” he whispers tenderly. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to see you grow from a teenager and into an adult. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to help you through your first shift.” Donghae pauses to swallow past the guilty lump in his throat. “I’m sorry that I left you.”

 

He hears the mattress move and the hands in his slip from him, and his watery eyes look up at an equally teary-eyed Henry.

 

Henry raises his arms and Donghae understands the offer instantly.

 

He stands from his chair and gently and carefully moves so that he could hug the smaller male.

 

“Please don’t apologise, hyung, I wouldn’t have let you stay, even if you wanted too. You were in too much danger living there, as well as Hyukie. If anything, I’m the one that’s sorry,” Henry whispers, and Donghae shakes his head harshly whilst pulling away.

 

Henry’s arms were shaking slightly due to the hug, and Donghae eases back so that he wasn’t in any discomfort no more.

 

“Henry, it wasn’t your fault.” He gently assures the younger male, and Henry shakes his head while brushing away the tears that slipped down his cheeks.

 

“If I didn’t ask you to come and see me that night, when I _knew_ I shouldn’t have done, you wouldn’t have been nearly raped.” His voice cracked in anguish, and Donghae couldn’t help but flinch at the end.

 

He had spent the past eight years burying that night away; he didn’t want to dig it back up now.

 

“Henry, listen to me.” He grabs the shaking hands as Henry lets out a painful sob that tears right through Donghae. “You are not responsible for that night,” he stresses firmly. “None of us could have prevented it. It sounds horrible, but it was going to happen eventually. We both know that.”

 

Donghae tugs the hands gently when Henry began to shake his head in denial.

 

“But still, I shouldn’t have put temptation in front of him!” Henry argues, and Donghae shakes his head sadly and whispers words that even his own brother hasn’t heard from him.

 

“He used to visit me,” he reveals quietly. “He told me himself that, one day, I would be his.”

 

Donghae stares into the male’s shocked and disgusted eyes, and feels his head bow in shame. “So please, Henry, don’t be sorry for something you couldn’t have controlled. Like I said, none of us could have prevented it from happening,” he whispers dejectedly, and sniffs slightly while wiping away his fallen tears.

 

He feels Henry tug him down and he resists, shaking his head.

 

“Let me hold you, hyung, just like how you used to hold me whenever I was upset,” Henry begs softly, and Donghae slowly eased himself down to lie beside Henry.

 

He helped Henry wrap an arm around his shoulders, and he carefully placed his arm a good distance away from his slowly, but healing stomach.

 

He gingerly rested his head on Henry’s solid chest, and let out a tired sigh. They both lay like that until Donghae noticed that the younger male had drifted off to sleep.

 

He tilted his head to look up at the sleeping face, and carefully moved so that he wasn’t lying down no more.

 

He returned back to his chair and put his head in his hand, his memory refusing to leave that night, eight years ago.

Donghae’s whole body goes cold, and he shakes with fear as a voice, dripping with desire and violence, echoed through his mind.

_“I did tell you, Donghae, that I would have you one day. It looks like today is that day.”_

 

 

 

Kyuhyun felt like his blood was on fire.

 

He only went to deliver some food for the two males, but instead, he stood outside the door, listening to Donghae and Henry speak about the night Donghae and Eunhyuk ran away.

 

He heard and saw Donghae’s memories too.

 

A burst of unadulterated anger slammed into him, causing him to dump the food on the floor and run from the door, from his mate that was struggling to move on.

 

His whole body felt tight, and he could feel his second skin itching to be free.

 

He pushed past a surprised Victoria and threw himself out of the front door; he was tearing off his clothing as he raced for the cover of the forest.

 

Once he stepped a foot into the shading of the trees, he dropped to his knees and let his wolf free.

 

 _Protect. Kill. Threat._ Kyuhyun’s whole body throbbed with the intensity of his wolf’s words.

 

His fingers snapped and formed into a paw, and he let his claws dig deep into the earth, rooting him so that he wouldn’t go after monster that tormented his mate. He sucked in a deep, cold breath of air as his face remoulded itself from being human and into being canine.

 

His vision swam, turning the forest blurry, before righting itself as his eyesight became more defined and more focused. His body snapped and cracked into its canine form, and he eventually had to drop onto his vulnerable tummy to rest.

 

The rain that fell a few nights ago still lingered in the forest. The animals that lived alongside the pack were now wary and quiet as they listened to Kyuhyun merge with his wolf.

 

A brave rabbit scurried somewhere near him and he snapped his jaws in warning. When silence fell, Kyuhyun was able to shuffle forward slightly into his wolf’s subconscious.

 

 _I don’t care what you do now, but I don’t need to remind you that if you hurt Donghae, I’ll make sure you won’t even get to sniff the smell of having control ever again,_ Kyuhyun warns it.

Kyuhyun’s answer was a hard shove backwards, and then darkness.

 

 

 

Donghae jolted at the sudden noise that came from outside of the bedroom door, and he glanced to see if it woke Henry, and sighed with relief that it hadn’t and approached the door.

 

He stepped out into the corridor to see a tray of food dropped onto the wooden floor and a surprised Victoria rounding the corner.

“Vic?” He calls out in question, and his nickname for her seemed to snap her out of her surprise.

 

Victoria pointed behind her. “Kyuhyun has just run past me.” She looks down at his feet and saw the messy food tray and frowned. “I’ve just made that as well.”

 

 _He heard,_ Donghae felt his breath catch as he quickly put it together.

“Donghae?!” Victoria yelped in surprise, yet again, as he rushed past her and down the stairs.

 

He noticed the half opened door and he yanked it open before charging through it.

 

Kyuhyun’s clothes littered the front yard, and Donghae didn’t have to follow the trail to know where it was leading to.

 

He kicked his feet and legs into gear as he hurried after his mate.

 

 _“Kyuhyun?”_   He tried to call through the small, weak bond, and pushed his legs faster when he got no reply.

 

 Once he stepped into the forest, he was immediately immersed with the scent of his mate.

 

He couldn’t have stopped the groan of pleasure and contentment that was brought on by the pungent smell of Kyuhyun’s wolf in full form, and he eagerly followed the scent and let it seep into his bones and muscles as he began to search for his upset mate.

 

He kept calling out every so often as he went deeper into the forest, his wolf was pacing inside of him, he wanted to be out as well, he wanted to find and comfort his mate.

 

He desired it.

 

Donghae pushed the desire away; he wasn’t that comfortable having desire run through his system yet. He could handle the small tingles of pleasure he got from touching and kissing Kyuhyun, but anything more, he was still afraid of.

 

“Kyu?” he called out as he paused to catch his mate’s scent, only to find that it had disappeared.

 

Alarm smacked into him, and as he spun to face the sound of a twig breaking, so did a huge and heavy wolf.

 

Off balance and surprised, Donghae crumbled to the forest’s damp floor.

 

His brain was scattered from the surprise of the impact, so it took a while for him to realise he was staring into gold, familiar eyes.

 

The desire flared back to life as well as his fear, and inevitably, his submissiveness.

 

Donghae’s muscles felt like they had turned to liquid and he diverted his eyes away from the black wolf and tilted his head in submission.

 

He expected a growl or something to come from the animal, since Kyuhyun had said in the past that Donghae shouldn’t ever submit to him, but what he got instead was a quiet cry.

 

Donghae slowly directed his gaze back to stare at the golden eyes and he saw that they were dull with sadness.

 

He swallowed loudly when the wolf’s head slowly lowered to nuzzle its cold, wet nose against his hot neck.

 

He was completely frozen as the wolf trailed its rough tongue over his thundering pulse.

 

“ _Can you hear me?”_ a voice came through the bond that Donghae was unable to speak through earlier.

 

He nodded, very slightly, in answer.

 

He felt something like a sigh against his neck, before the voice of Kyuhyun’s wolf spoke to him again. “ _Kyuhyun has been holding me back from communicating with you, he’s scared that he’ll hurt you. Wait, correction, he’s scared that I’ll hurt you.”_

Before Donghae could reply, the wolf slowly lowers its warm and comforting body on top of him.

 

 _“We would never hurt you, Donghae,”_ it assures strongly. _“It would kill the pair of us, just like how it would with you and your wolf. Kyuhyun knows that in order to bond properly, both sides of us have to merge...I know your wolf has already informed you on those steps, am I right?”_

Donghae blushes at the question and is glad he doesn’t have to speak vocally because he knew for a fact he would end up stuttering.

 

“ _In order to have a completed bond, both mates have to merge fully. That means mentally...and physically._ ” Donghae shyly recites his wolf’s words, and he coughs slightly in embarrassment. “ _When your wolf merges with your mate’s wolf, it will cause a chain reaction that will lead into the physical merging.”_  

 

The wolf suddenly lets out a rumbling noise and it takes a while for Donghae to realise that the wolf is praising him.

 

“ _Good. The reason why I’ve brought this up is because of what we heard you say earlier, what we saw earlier. We’re both...touchy at the moment, in regards to how our bond is growing. You really don’t know how much we long to finally be together with you two.”_

 

Donghae can feel his eyes prick at the longing and love in the wolf’s voice, and he jumps in to speak, _“the both of us are also longing to be with you, but-”_

Kyuhyun’s wolf hastily interrupts him. _“We are waiting for you to grow comfortable; we will never pressure you, Donghae, please remember that.”_

Donghae runs his fingers through the wolf’s fur and soothes the animal’s insistence away.

_“I know,”_ he whispers softly.

 

The wolf rests into his gentle touch. _“What I’m trying to say, Donghae, is that you need to start healing. What we heard and saw was so raw and painful for us, that if we could, we would wipe away those horrible memories. But we can’t. The only things we can do is help and support you through it.”_

Donghae can feel his whole body beginning to shake, and he closes his eyes at the small whimper the wolf makes.

_“Donghae, please, let us in. You can’t keep bottling it up, it’s destroying you.”_ The wolf’s voice is desperate and pleading, and Donghae knows that he is right.

He can’t keep it inside him no more; it’s going to kill him, which in turn, would kill Kyuhyun.

 

Donghae snaps his eyes open at the very thought of Kyuhyun dying because of him and his past.

 

He stares into the soft gold eyes with fiery determination, and before he can speak, he feels a slight tugging through the bond.

_“Kyuhyun is pulling me back, I didn’t exactly play fair in order to do this. He doesn’t know what’s happened, but he can look back into our memories and he’ll see what we’ve been speaking about.”_ Donghae widens his eyes at the new information of Kyuhyun’s wolf barring him from control.

_“Wait, if you’re here...why, has nothing happened?”_ he asks quickly, and he can feel Kyuhyun tugging harder now.

 

The wolf tilts its head slightly, before licking slightly at Donghae’s nose. _“Your wolf, unlike me, is patient. He knows you’re not ready for the full bond; he’s staying hidden in order for me to communicate with the pair of you.”_

Donghae smiles softly as he feels Kyuhyun’s wolf slip back through the bond, and he feels his own wolf stir slightly at the loss.

_Soon,_ he promises his wolf.

His smile turns into loving one when Kyuhyun bursts through the much stronger bond.

_“Hae? Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did he? Did I hurt you? Why are you laughing? This isn’t funny, Donghae, do you know how scared I was being locked inside my own body and not being able to control it?! Knowing I couldn’t control myself from you..”_ Kyuhyun’s hysterical rant loses steam, and Donghae lets the wolf jump off him so that the male can go and shift back into human form.

 

Donghae listens idly to Kyuhyun’s shift, and when the forest turns silent, he speaks after a few minutes of it.

 

“Have you seen it?” he asks softly.

 

Kyuhyun doesn’t reply straight away, but he sighs heavily before finally answering him.

 

“He shouldn’t have done that. He could have just...not done it that way,” Kyuhyun argues, and Donghae sighs whilst getting up from off the forest floor.

 

Donghae takes off his jogging pants and holds them out towards Kyuhyun’s direction. “Put these on first so we can speak properly.”

 

Kyuhyun wordlessly slips forwards from the group of trees he’d been hiding behind and quickly puts on Donghae’s clothing.

 

He frowns when he sees Donghae just wearing boxers and a thin t-shirt.

 

“Let’s get back inside,” he suggests, but freezes at the look he gets from Donghae.

 

Donghae silently walks up to Kyuhyun’s partially naked form and raises a finger to trace the flustered skin brought on from the shift.

 

Kyuhyun shudders softly, his skin still sensitive.

 

“I never got the chance to say it,” Donghae starts as he continues to trace a little star over Kyuhyun’s heart.

 

“Say what?” Kyuhyun whispers, his voice low and husky.

 

Donghae smiles and raises his face to look into the eyes that were staring at him with a longing he knew all too well.

 

“From now on, I’ll begin to talk about my past. From now on, I’m going to work on moving forwards,” he promises.

 

He raises his head up to Kyuhyun’s lowering one. 

 

“I’m going to work on moving forwards...with you.”

 

Donghae was the one to initiate the kiss this time.

 

He’s the one that lets the lock he holds over his memories disappear, for good.

 

 

 


	30. Chapter 30

 

 

 

Sungmin gently knocks on the partially open door before entering, and Henry smiles at him in welcome from where he was sitting up in the bed.

 

Sungmin’s eyes do a quick check on the monitors that the young male was hooked up to, and when he was satisfied with the numbers, he approaches Henry.

 

“How do you feel today?” he asks while he dispenses and applies the hand sanitizer that was located on the bedside table.

 

Henry wiggled his upper body enthusiastically and laughs loudly in amusement when Sungmin starts to splutter in panic.

 

“I’m fine, my stomach is a bit sore still, but it’s nothing to cry about,” he says while shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

 

Sungmin still gave him a disapproving look while he begins to unbutton Henry’s PJ top. “It’s been three days since you almost got disembowelled,” he deadpans.

 

 Henry was quiet as Sungmin began to uncover the bandages to see that the wound on his chest was now gone, and the skin was scar free. Sungmin hums the note of healing to himself as he gently and slowly feels the male’s torso, feeling if the cracked ribs were healing all right.

 

He apologises when Henry winces slightly.

 

He glances up to stare at Henry’s determined ones. “I thought only your stomach hurt?”

 

Sungmin saw Henry’s jaw clench ever so slightly at his question, and he sighed and shook his head at the male’s lie, before moving on to look at the main injury.

 

“Lying isn’t going to get you out of here, Henry,” he scolds softly whilst inspecting the still red and sore wound.

 

“It was worth a shot.”

 

Sungmin snaps his head up to narrow his eyes at the disinterested male, whom was staring at the closed door of the bedroom.

 

“Worth a shot?” he repeats, his tone was low.

 

Sungmin stiffens when Henry merely shrugs his shoulders, before speaking in a flat voice. “That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

 

Somewhere, deep inside of Sungmin, he felt the urge to shout at the male while holding the small body to him in comfort. Henry’s desire to be free from his injuries was making him lie so that he would be allowed out of bedroom he’d spent the last three days in.

 

It made Sungmin angry and sad at the same time.

 

Sungmin re-buttoned the top in silence as he watched Henry’s eyes trying to hide his emotions.

 

He silently backed into the chair that was beside the bed and sighed softly. “Henry, you’re going to have to be patient. You need time to heal. What good is it going to do you if you ignore your injuries and be active? It’s only going to make them worse, and you’ll be forced to rest for longer,” Sungmin gently tries to reason with the frustrated male, and watches as Henry rolls his head to stare at him.

 

“I know, but I’d rather rest later than rest now.” Henry’s words weren’t spoken like an impatient person, his words were full of understanding at what would happen if he didn’t rest, and that he would welcome the repercussions without any fuss.

 

“I need to be on my feet and be beside my brother and our friends. I don’t need to be stuck on bed rest, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of this room,” he continues to argue.

 

Sungmin feels his lips twitch, but he forces himself to stay neutral.

 

“Whatever it takes?” he repeats lightly, and when Henry nodded his head, Sungmin lets his lips form the smile.

 

“How about we make a deal?” he bargains with the male, who’s face instantly turns curious and wary.

 

“What kind of deal?” Henry carefully asks. 

 

Sungmin rises from the chair and walks so that he is at the foot of the bed. “No more lies about your injuries, and I won’t tell your brother or Donghae about it.”

 

Henry immediately narrows his eyes at Sungmin in betrayal.

 

“You wouldn’t,” he threatens.

 

Sungmin tilts his head at the slight threat, and in two strides, he’s at the bedroom door, calling out of the room, “Hae, Siwon? Can you guys come here please?”

 

The bed squeaks as Henry tries to get off his bed to shut him up, but Sungmin effortlessly forces Henry back onto the bed with one of the male’s shoulders gently pinned to the ruffled bed covers.

 

Distant, hurried footsteps approach and Henry looks up at Sungmin pleadingly. “Please, hyung, don’t,” he begs quietly.

 

Sungmin smiles softly and eases up on his hold, just as Siwon and Donghae enter the room.

 

“Hyung?” both male question slowly at the sight of Sungmin holding Henry’s shoulder.

 

Sungmin can feel the body under his hand tense at the presence of the two males, and he squeezes gently.

 

“Henry has something to ask you both,” he brightly says while smiling down at Henry’s brilliant impression of a deer being caught in headlights. 

 

“I-I do?” he stutters, and Sungmin sighs dramatically before slapping the shoulder beneath his hand.

 

“He wants to know if you two would help him bathe. He’s just been complaining about how dirty he feels.”

 

Sungmin glances to look back at their siblings, trying to hide his amused grin at how Henry flushes at his words.

 

Siwon was already stepping forward to assist in helping his brother, and Sungmin slips out of the way as Henry, bright red in the face, tries to not fight his brother.

 

Sungmin lets his grin slip onto his face at the look of payback in the young male’s eyes.

 

What Sungmin didn’t notice was the way his own brother was watching him and Henry.

 

Siwon led Henry to the bathroom, and before he could enter the room, Henry paused.

 

“Remember to bring the bubble tea, hyung,” Henry reminds pointedly whilst turning to glance over his shoulder at him.

 

“Bubble tea?” Sungmin questions slowly, and Henry chuckles softly before motioning to Siwon to continue onwards.

 

“Yeah, you promised to bring me some when you come to stay here with me until I get better.”

 

Sungmin was so glad for the bathroom door to close on the three males, because he was sure his mouth was down to floor in disbelief.

 

He listened to the murmuring coming from the bathroom, and started to smile tenderly at the distinct voice of Henry.

 

 _I’m done for, aren’t I?_ He asks his silent wolf, and all he gets in return is a slight tingle that erupts all over his body at the sound of Henry’s shrill yelp.

 

He sighs at the feeling, and turns to leave the room with only one question on his mind.

 

_What the hell am I going to do?_

 

 

 

 _“Kangin?”_ Leeteuk’s soft, uncertain voice comes through their mated bond.

 

Kangin stills and lets the cool breeze trickle around him. He listens to the sounds of his home and the surrounding forest, searching for any signs of someone trespassing.

 

There were no foreign scents, just the same comforting smell of his land and family.

 

 _“What are you doing?_ ” his mate questions, and Kangin can sense his mate starting to move from their room to come and find him inside the forest.

 

 _“Stay inside,”_  he orders softly as he continues on with his patrol.

 

He feels through the bond and he can see that Leeteuk is looking out of their bedroom window, searching the forest with his eyes.

 

Kangin pulls away the strips of unease and worry that Leeteuk is feeling and sends reassurance to his mate.

 

 _“I’ll be back in an hour; you can time me if you wish.”_ He ducks under a low branch, and chuckles at the way he feels Leeteuk scowl at the suggestion.

 

It’s quiet for a few minutes as Kangin ventures through the forest, and stills just as Leeteuk sends a soft warning as he retreats from their open bond.

 

_“Don’t make me come looking for you.”_

 

Kangin lets Leeteuk’s words seep into him as he stares down through the tree in front of him.

 

He silently takes in a deep breath, and locks his eyes on the spot that caught his attention.

 

 _Stranger, trespasser, threat,_ echoes through his mind as the tiny scent is filtered through his mind and body.

 

He strides closer to the spot that once had someone sitting in and surveys the area. He turns back to the direction the house is in and feels anger begin to build inside him.

 

There is a gap, a very small one, in the trees, and you can see the house in the distance.

 

Without warning, he smashes his fist into the nearest tree, his eyes now drawn to the spot of forest floor.

 

His land had been invaded, even if it was just for an hour, it was still invaded.

 

His enemy had been watching their home, his family, his pack.

_“So, it has begun,”_   he lets the threatening growl slip between his teeth just as the wind picks up, as if sensing his predatory anger.

 

 

They aren’t marked as your pack, they won’t be returning to you.

 

He rereads the email that came from the alpha once again and licks his lips as he feels the hunger to rip the alpha’s throat out.

 

This...Kangin, doesn’t know that he’s just signed his own life away.

 

The knocking on the door draws his attention away from the monitor in front of him, and he leans back into his chair, bringing up his feet so that they can rest on the map that’s on his desk.

 

“Enter,” he calls out quietly, and watches as the short male slips silently through the door and quickly drops to his knees.

 

“Well?” the male demands from the short man with impatience, and smirks as the smell of old fear leaks from him.

 

Still kneeling, the male hurriedly begins to speak. “I have completed the surveillance of the home, sir.”

 

The man raises a black booted foot off the desk, only to slam it down heel first.

 

The kneeling male jumps at the loud noise and the man growls out quietly, “obviously you’ve completed it otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Tell me what you found there.”

 

“S-sorry, sir, I found that the alpha has a pack made up of nine members, all nine of them are male, sir. The house that they live in is also the home of a female, who is mated to one of the pack males but has yet to be marked as pack. The same goes for our four members, sir,” the male stutters in fright and tries to relay what he found back to his master quickly.

 

He raises an eyebrow at the female part and makes a mental note of it for later.

 

“Are they all mated?” he asks, and again raises an eyebrow at the nod the male gives him.

 

“Apart from two males, but yes, sir, there is only one mating that is between a female and a male. The others are all male. But...not all are werewolves, sir.”

 

At his nod, the kneeling man continues. “There are two humans, sir. Both are a part of the pack. One of the humans is mated, the other isn’t.”

 

He shakes his head at the mismatched pack that this Kangin has, and he steels himself for his next question.

 

“What about the Lee twins?” he asks slowly, and watches every inch of the male, and he can feel his blood freeze when the male slightly tensed at his demand.

 

“W-we know already knew about Eunhyuk, sir.” The male tries to skirt around the question, but he isn’t having it.

 

“Tell me about Donghae. Does he have a mate?” he demands with his hands clenched tightly into fists.

 

The male on the floor hesitantly looks up and nods. “He is mated to a pack member, sir.”

 

Roughly three seconds ticks by in silence as he absorbs that little bit of information.

 

“Sir?” the male asks softly, and makes the mistake of drawing his attention to him.

 

One minute he was seated behind his desk, the next, he has his hands embedded into the male’s throat whilst lifting him off the floor.

 

A red haze colours his vision, and the voice of his wolf thunders in his ears.

 

He snarls into the shaking and crying male’s face and flings him towards the door.

 

Even the sound of the male’s body hitting the door doesn’t satisfy his thirst for violence.

 

He strides towards the crumpled male that is cradling his bleeding throat, whom whimpers in pain and submission when he snatches the male’s head back by his black hair.

 

“Send the word, we’re leaving to claim what’s ours,” he growls, and opens the door to shove the useless male through it.

 

He slams the heavy wood shut and begins to pace, his aggression still too raw.

 

He closes his eyes as he can feel his wolf begin to prickle underneath his skin, his desire to claim what is theirs, high.

 

He breathes through the aggression and desire, and slowly opens his changed eyes.

 

They fall onto the chest that is in the corner of his office, and he silently heads towards it and enters the combination to the lock and opening it.

 

His eyes immediately lock onto a picture frame that holds a family portrait, and he gingerly picks it up from where it was resting on a small boy’s woollen jumper, bringing it out into the light.

 

As he stares at the picture, he feels his aggression slip back towards a neutral level.

 

But his desire, on the other hand, only grows.

 

He traces a finger over the pre-teen’s face and imagines that he’s running his finger against the actual person.

 

He groans as his eyes slip shut to picture the soft, innocent skin beneath his fingertip, and he continues to trace his finger over the small but slightly broad shoulders, and down over the woollen jumper to where his heart would be beating.

 

He opens his eyes to stare down at the face of the pre-teen, and smiles softly at the innocence reflecting back at him.

 

But behind that innocence is years of witnessing pain and cruelty, and beneath all of that, lies a submissive that he has claimed since day one.

 

His hand reaches to trace the male’s face and imagines that the boy would’ve flinched at the contact.

 

The boy only would let his twin touch him, which often drove him insane to see.

 

He places the picture back into the chest, which holds items that belong to the boy.

 

He picks up a t-shirt that is stretched and torn from rough hands. The smell of the boy’s sweat used to cling to the t-shirt, but sadly, years have eaten it away.

 

He stills brings it to his nose to smell, and smiles at the memory that the t-shirt serves.

 

The memory of him almost tasting and claiming the boy, and also, the memory of said boy escaping from him, along with his twin.

 

But that is all going to change now.

 

He places the t-shirt back into the chest and locks it. He turns his back to the chest and looks out of the window that is behind his desk.

 

The night was beginning to settle over his land, and he smirked at thought of Kangin’s pack being unaware of what was about to come.

 

His eyes clouded over with lust, and his skin prickles in anticipation.

 

Donghae was unaware of what was about to come.

 

 

 

“Kibum and Ryeowook, I want you to go and stay at the clinic for the next few days.”

 

Kyuhyun’s fork pauses on its journey towards his open mouth, and he snaps his eyes to take in Yesung’s reaction.

 

Yesung, who had been sitting beside his human mate, was instantly on the opposite side of him and was baring his teeth at Kangin.

 

“Yesung, I’m ordering this for his safety as well as your own,” Kangin calmly states.

 

“Why, Kangin? Why order my mate and our resident doctor away from home?” Yesung demands, and Kyuhyun can feel Donghae inch closer towards him, away from the aggression and dominance that was rolling off from Yesung.

 

“Sit down.” Kyuhyun warns the elder, his own anger of having the male make Donghae afraid flavouring his tone.

 

Yesung snaps his golden eyes at him and Kyuhyun starts to rise from his seat, only to be tugged down by Donghae and Sungmin.

 

“Yesung, I’ve let you get away with arguing with me so far, do not push it,” Kangin warns, and he waits for Yesung to gain control over himself.

 

Ryeowook is rubbing his mate’s back soothingly while whispering reassurances, but Yesung still won’t give up.

 

“You didn’t answer why the humans of our household have to leave,” he bites out as Ryeowook forces him onto his lap and wraps his thin arms around the male’s waist.

 

Everyone turns from watching Yesung to look at their alpha. Suddenly, Kyuhyun knows that whatever Kangin is about to say next is going to change everything.

 

“The reason why I want them gone is because, in a day or so I suspect, we’ll be visited by a pack that is our enemy.”

 

The room was tense already because of Yesung’s confrontation, but Kangin’s words drove it up.

 

And everybody turned to stare at Kyuhyun’s mate.

 

 

 

He should be freaking out at Kangin’s words and having everyone turn to stare at him. He should be a quivering mess and having to be restrained by his mate.

 

He should not be calm and quiet.

 

“Hae?” his mate grasps his hands that once held his knife and fork but now lay limply on top of the dining table.

 

 _Huh, maybe I am a little affected,_ he thinks to himself as he gazes down at their intertwined hands.

 

He glances up at Kyuhyun to see that his beautiful mate was staring at him with worry.

 

With his free hand, he reached and rubbed the frown from off his mate’s forehead.

 

“Don’t frown, Kyu,” he whispers softly.

 

He ignores the wide eyes of his mate and stares at Kangin who is watching him, just like everyone else.

 

“They’re coming for Siwon and Henry, aren’t they?” he asks, already expecting the answer, and when Kangin nods, Donghae asks quietly, “are you going to let them go?”

 

Everyone looks at Kangin for his answer, and Donghae feels his stomach flutter slightly.

 

“You, along with Eunhyuk and Victoria, are a part of our family now. Siwon is Eunhyuk’s mate, and Henry is his step brother and a very dear friend to you and your twin.” He pauses to glance around to the pack members and asks them, “all in favour of Siwon and Henry to join our family?”

 

Donghae watches with wide eyes as everyone raises their hands.

 

He stares at Heechul and Hankyung, and even though he hasn’t really spoken with them and yet, they raise their arms and accept him and his family.

 

Zhou Mi’s arm was the highest out of all of them, with Victoria right beside him with her hand slightly raised. Zhou Mi corrects that straight away by informing her that she’s part of this pack too, and she blushes while raising her hand higher to join her mate.

 

Kibum and Leeteuk have their arms raised high too, along with Ryeowook and Yesung, who was stilling sitting on his mate’s lap.

 

He doesn’t need to look to see his mate and older brother are holding their arms high too.

 

He wishes that Eunhyuk, Siwon, and Henry were downstairs to see this; it would mean the world to them.

 

“When this is over, we’ll begin the official ceremony to mark our new family members as ours.” Kangin stands, the decision final, and Donghae watches as everyone else, minus he and Victoria, stands up.

 

He stares in confusion at the standing ovation, and his question is answered in the form of one big chorus as they say, “Welcome to the family.”

 

 


	31. Chapter 31

 

 

 

Sungmin rushes for the bedroom that now belongs to Henry.

 

He was the first one to leave the dining room after the announcements, and Donghae was going to follow him, but with one stern look from Kyuhyun, Sungmin had watched as Kyuhyun herded his brother towards their own room.

 

Kyuhyun was worried about Donghae’s lack of reaction to the news that his past was about to coming knocking at their door, and so was Sungmin.

 

He knocks and slips into the room, surprising the three males inside.

 

“Hyung?” Eunhyuk questions in surprise at his quick entrance, and Sungmin smiles at the makeshift picnic that was on Henry’s bed.

 

He waves his hand dismissively at Eunhyuk, who in turn gapes at him, much to Siwon’s amusement.

 

His eyes are on the boy that was sitting up in bed instead of lying down and resting his stomach muscles.

 

“You should be lying down, not sitting.” He scolds the boy, and Henry rolls his eyes at him in answer.

 

“Sungmin, seriously, what was with the hurried entrance?” Eunhyuk continues to prod, his instinct too good, and Sungmin busies himself with fussing over Henry and his monitor.

 

“You checked this over an hour ago, what can happen in just over an hour?” Henry teases, and Sungmin, oblivious to their siblings, smacks Henry’s forehead lightly.

 

“Min!” Eunhyuk shouts, finally frustrated at being avoided, and Sungmin jumps in surprise.

 

“I’m only here, Hyuk, there’s no need to shout,” he rebukes his little brother, and tries to hide his smile when he hears Henry laugh.

 

Sungmin notices the way Siwon has a hand resting against his brother’s hip and he looks up to see that Eunhyuk is red in the face with frustration.

 

His brain helpfully clicks him back onto the right track and reminds him _why_ he had rushed here in the first place.

 

He pales at the thought of breaking the news to the three males.

 

“Why the sudden face?” Eunhyuk whispers uneasily, and Sungmin wonders if the news will finally break his strong little brother.

 

“The pack is coming here,” he tells them bluntly. He didn’t want to be cruel and say why; it was obvious why they were coming.

 

He can feel his heart go out to his brother as the anguish, fear, and anger dance in his eyes.

 

He watches with sad eyes as Siwon instantly swallows Eunhyuk up into a comforting hug, and he looks down at the boy that has his eyes downcast towards the bed.

 

Sungmin’s hand itches to touch and bring the male into him for his own comforting hug.

 

But Sungmin knew it wasn’t just comfort that he felt for the boy.

 

“How long?” Henry whispers, and Sungmin throws all reason out of the window and hesitantly touches the brown hair.

 

He’s surprised when Henry leans into his touch, which gives him the confidence to shuffle closer so that it wasn’t awkward.

 

“Kangin suspects it will be sometime tomorrow,” he whispers, and his head snaps up at the muffled cry that came from his brother.

 

He can see his brother is fighting to stay in the room, and Sungmin can tell that it isn’t what he needs right now.

 

What he needs is the privacy so that he and his mate can comfort one another.

 

“After I say this, Hyukie, go and be alone with Siwon. Don’t worry about Henry; I won’t leave him alone, okay?” When he gets a reluctant nod in return, he tells them the other announcement that was made at dinner.

 

“We’re going to fight for you, and before you argue, Siwon, it’s been decided by the pack that, you and your brother, my brothers, and Victoria, are a part of the pack now.”

 

Sungmin smiles at the relief on his sibling’s face, but Siwon is shaking his head.

 

“You can’t do that,” he whispers, and Sungmin frowns at the tension that fills Henry and Siwon.

 

“Why not?” he argues, and is surprised to see his brother clamp his hand over Siwon’s mouth.

 

“Don’t, Siwon. Please, just not now,” his brother whispers desperately, and Sungmin is even more confused and alarmed at what he was witnessing.

 

“Eunhyuk, what isn’t he telling us?” he demands, and doesn’t even flinch at the glare that Siwon throws his way.

 

Siwon’s glare softens when Eunhyuk shakes his head determinedly at Sungmin’s demanding question.

 

Siwon cradles his mate’s face so that he can get his full attention. “Hyukie, I can’t keep this hidden from the people who are helping us.”

 

“Tell me,” Sungmin whispers desperately at the two males, and it isn’t either of them who answer him.

 

He pales at Henry’s admission, and thinks despairingly, _how can we fight against that?_

“Are you going to explain why you didn’t tell Donghae that they were also coming for him and Eunhyuk?” Leeteuk demands once Kangin closes to the door to his office behind them.

 

Kangin leans against the closed door as his mate stands with his arms folded and his expression disappointed in front of his desk.

 

“It would have panicked, not just Donghae, but also Kyuhyun and Sungmin,” he explains.

 

Leeteuk shakes his head slightly. “Did you not _see_ Donghae at dinner? He didn’t react to anything, Kangin. The only thing he reacted to was when Yesung got angry, which was before the announcement. Why was it that, after you mentioned his past was coming back, he didn’t even flinch?” Leeteuk rambles and Kangin rushes to calm his emotional mate.

 

He brings the male into his chest. “He isn’t broken, Leeteuk. He’s just in shock,” he soothed his mate, and Leeteuk physically relaxes when Kangin reassures him about the first bit.

 

“I was scared that after everything that has happened in his and his twin’s life, this was the thing to break him,” Leeteuk whispers and clings to him as Kangin soothes his fears away.

 

“What’s going to happen when he has to face them, Kangin?” Leeteuk’s question is so quiet that Kangin just say caught it.

 

He couldn’t even give his mate an answer.

 

 

 

Eunhyuk shuts the door behind him and rests his head against the slightly cool wood.

 

He listens to his mate shuffle around the room, turning on the small lamps that were dotted around. He hears the bed shift as Siwon sits down, and he clenches his hand around the cold door handle.

 

“Hyukie...”

 

Eunhyuk couldn’t stop the shudder from running up his spine as Siwon calls for him.

 

He closes his eyes and just breathes in the scent of his mate, relishing in the smell that was burned into his memory.

 

Ever since he found them, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands and eyes off Siwon, not that the male had minded, he was exactly the same towards him.

 

But, for the past few days, Eunhyuk just couldn’t seem to accept that he was back with his mate. He kept jerking awake during the night, searching for the warm and comforting body at his back, reassuring himself that he hadn’t dreamt of going for Siwon and Henry.

 

“What are you thinking?” Siwon whispers into his ear, and he jumps at the silent approach.

 

His grip tightens on the door handle as Siwon slips his arms around his hips and placing his hands just over where his heart is.

 

His heart was pounding as Siwon’s warmth from his hand soaks into him, and he smacks his knee off the door when he felt the tickle of Siwon’s lips brushing up his neck.

 

“Well?” Siwon pushes for an answer, and Eunhyuk gasps quietly at the sharp nip his mate gave his sensitive neck.

 

“The forest, I was remembering what happened when I came for you,” he admits softly while leaning into Siwon’s nuzzling.

 

Siwon withdrew from his nuzzling, much to Eunhyuk’s disappointment. “About that, what did I tell you to never do?” he demands quietly, and Eunhyuk could feel his body starting to tense.

 

He had been skirting around the whole incident for the past few days.

 

“Hyuk, I’m not letting you run away from this conversation no more.” Siwon presses his hands a little bit harder against his chest, and Eunhyuk slumps in defeat.

 

“I needed to see you, Siwon. I was beginning to lose myself. I was even cruel to my twin when all he wanted to do was help me.” He still needed to apologise to Donghae about how he had acted that night.

 

He leans his head against the door as he begins to feel the tightening of his throat and the prickling of his eyes. “You told me to never come back to that place and that it would always be you to risk the danger of us meeting,” he whispers what Siwon has always told him. “I was terrified. I couldn’t get into contact with you, and it just made my day-to-day worries about you go into hyper drive. So I came for you,” he whispers to the door as he recalls just how tortured he had felt during that time.

 

He listens to Siwon’s soft and calm breathing, and it helps him ease through his past feelings.

 

“Do you have any idea of how I felt when they reported that you had come back?” Siwon was back at his ear now, and Eunhyuk flinched at the pain and fear in his mate’s voice.

 

“They knew you had been hiding in the woods for a few days, but they were waiting for you to show yourself properly,” Siwon reveals and sucks in a sharp breath as he clutches Eunhyuk tightly against his tall, built body. “He even ordered for you to be tranquilized and placed in one of those cages. You must remember which cages I’m talking about.”

 

Eunhyuk nods quickly, his memories bringing forward the cramped steel cage that was laced with shards of glass so that any attempt of escaping was useless.

 

He remembered them all right.

 

“I was busy watching over Henry,” Siwon reveals quietly. “He was trying to go through his first shift.”

 

Eunhyuk gasps and spins around despite the tight grip on him to face Siwon with wide eyes.

 

“First shift?” He repeats in shock. “But, he’s twenty-one,” he states in confusion.

 

“He’s been trying to complete the phase for years now, but his body just won’t let him complete it. That’s why I was unable to contact you, I was shielding him. After all of these years, he still makes Henry’s life hell because of his inability to shift. During those years, I protected him and supported him,” Siwon confesses, and Eunhyuk finally understands why Henry nearly died in the forest.

 

“He’s just like Sungmin,” he realises with a start, and Siwon’s eyes widen with realisation as well.

 

 _Well, maybe that is why his brother has taken so well to Henry,_ he thinks to himself.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as guilt sweeps through him. He had risked their lives, all because he was unable to contact his mate who was fighting to protect his vulnerable sibling.

 

Siwon sighs and pulls him into a comforting embrace. “I understand why you did it, Hyuk, its okay. Henry is fine now.”

 

“He would’ve been fine if I didn’t force you to come after me. He wouldn’t have got hurt and used by them if I hadn’t come and stuck my nose in!” Eunhyuk vents in anger that was directed to not, just the people who hurt Henry, but also to himself.

 

He stiffens in reaction to Siwon tightening his hold on him. “You didn’t force me to do anything,” Siwon growls quietly into his ear. “Do you honestly think I would let anyone harm you? I don’t need my wolf to scream at me to protect you; I’m willing enough to give my life in order to save yours.”

 

Eunhyuk shakes gently at the fierceness in Siwon’s voice, and pushes back so he could look the other in the eyes.

 

“But because of me, Henry got hurt,” he tries to argue his point still, but Siwon just shakes his head in disagreement.

 

“Henry got hurt because, like you, he ignored my warning of staying put,” Siwon explains, making a point to remind Eunhyuk. “When I raced to find you before they could, I told Henry to stay in hiding and wait for us to return. But, he didn’t. Henry saw him following where I had gone and had gone to divert him away from us two.”

 

Siwon pauses his explaining to take a hold of Eunhyuk’s shaking head.

 

He brushes the tears away from his cheeks and continues softly, “before, when we were still in Henry’s room and we heard that you were hiding in the forest, Henry told me that, when the time came to reunite with you, that I should forget my duty to him.”

 

Eunhyuk muttered a sobbed curse in reply to that.

 

“My response was along those lines as well,” Siwon chuckles lightly. “But you know what Henry is like; he always puts others before himself.”

 

Eunhyuk nods in agreement, and fails to remove himself from the memory of that night.

 

_Eunhyuk was thankful that he had shifted back into his human form. As much as being a wolf was useful with the added speed, power, and senses, he preferred to be on two legs when it came to dodging and hiding from grown men with guns._

_But, with being in his wolf form for the last three days, his body had felt out of balance._

_For the first two days after he left is brothers, he had went to their apartment to gather his supplies._

_Shindong, Eunhyuk doesn’t know how, had found him and dragged him to his home. There he had tried to get through to Eunhyuk just how crazy his plan was._

_Needless to say, he lashed out when the male kept him there for an entire day._

_After leaving Shindong’s, he had made his through the city by foot. He could’ve used money to get through and out of the city faster, but he was saving it for the journey home._

_So he walked._

_From his past experiences of being on the run with his twin, Eunhyuk wasn’t immune to long distances._

_He wasn’t even halfway to his destination when he felt the muscles in his legs begin to feel an old pain._

_But he still pushed on._

_He had limited supplies, and with his unwillingness to spend money that he might need later, he rationed what he had. He was just thankful it was no longer summer; otherwise he might have been in trouble._

_He stuck close to road, but would stay in the shadows of the growing forest that grew thicker the further south he went._

_He slept in his wolf form, he felt less vulnerable like that, but come morning, he would shift back._

_The journey from the city to where he was heading, in a car it would take four to five hours, add speed and ignorance to the law, you could half it or more depending on the driver._

_But on foot, it was going to take a lot longer._

_Once he reached the land that was unclaimed by anyone, he rested and stared past the boundary line of the free zone and into his past’s territory._

_After hiding his bag pack in a thicket in the free zone, it was then that he shifted into his wolf form._

_For the next few hours, as he worked his way deeper into his past, he tried to keep a hold of his fear and would remind himself of why he was doing this._

_On the way, when he was still in human form, he had tried to get into contact with Siwon, and every time his phone reached voicemail, it drove his determination and worry higher._

_When he reached the small village that held the pack, he wished he’d never returned._

_The word ‘village’ was the wrong word, since all that consisted were vast amount of houses that were built in small packs of their own. They were dotted around the structure that dominated the middle of the ‘village’._

_The large building was the main headquarters of the pack; it’s where the alpha and his family lived._

_The purpose of the alpha living in the middle was that he could see everything at all times. He had cameras dotted all around the village. There were cameras located in every pack of houses so he could see and hear everything._

_Eunhyuk could only hope that they hadn’t branched out deeper into the forest over the years. He was aware of the cameras and traps that were situated in the forest, he and Donghae had to know where they were so that when it came to meeting up with Siwon and Henry they wouldn’t get caught and be punished._

_By having so many cameras, the alpha always knew when dominance fights were taking place, and he would know who lost and who won._

_But he never once stopped the fights, even when they were unfair and cruel._

_The fights just described how he was, cruel and unfair._

_Eunhyuk sneaks away from the centre of the pack and loops around so that he can remain hidden. Once he found an ideal place to hide, he began to watch and wait._

_As the days went by, he was sad to see that things hadn’t changed since the last time he was here. He saw that the pack had a few more submissive wolves than it had years ago, and he winced at the memory of what they will or have gone through._

_But, as much as it pained him to see the fighting that the young males were going through, he was here to rescue his mate and sibling._

_The first sighting of his mate nearly had him running out of his hiding spot._

_It was only brief. He was talking to the alpha, and Eunhyuk only just caught a glimpse of the males because they were passing by the windows in the headquarters._

_He had sighed with relief, but then he saw them pause in front of a window._

_He wished his hearing could pick up the conversation, but he was too far away, so he watched in concentration to read the situation by their body language._

_The alpha was pissed at something; they way he held himself looked like he was restraining himself. Siwon, surprisingly, looked angry as well._

_Eunhyuk was stunned to see his usual calm mate looking so angry, and he felt his stomach drop at the sudden doubt in his mind._

_The doubt was claiming that maybe everything won’t be the same as it was years ago._

_Maybe Siwon had changed. Maybe, he didn’t want him no more, so he was hiding._

_Just as he was about to shake the doubt out of his head, he jerked in surprise when the alpha backhanded his mate._

_He was on his four legs instantly and growling in fury at the treatment of his mate, his wolf was calling for the alpha’s blood, and Eunhyuk happily agreed for it as well._

_As he watched the alpha walk away with hatred burning in his eyes, it was then that he decided he was going to save his mate and Henry, tonight._

_But it also looked like the alpha had plans for tonight as well, the plan to capture him._

_Eunhyuk ducked as he heard the sharp click of the gun mechanism opening and releasing its chamber._

_He hit the floor, rolled, and was back on his feet within seconds._

_He scrambled to regain his balance that was due to his quick movement, and cast a quick look over his shoulder._

_It was like history repeating itself. Here he was, running away from a mob of men that were determined to bring him back ‘home.’_

_“If you stop running, Eunhyuk, he will go easy on you!” one of the men had shouted from behind him, and he darted silently through the trees, putting a safe distance between him and them._

_But he couldn’t hide for long, and they were tracking his scent._

_He heard a twig snap and instantly stiffened._

_He shifted through the different sounds and scents, and the only thing he could pick up was what was happening behind him._

_He cursed in his head at the direction the wind was blowing._

_“Come willingly, Eunhyuk. You don’t want to make this any worse than necessary. He just wants to welcome you back home, back to your family!” Another man chimes in and Eunhyuk rolled his eyes._

_He silently pushes away from the tree he was hiding behind and begins to jog away from them._

_He just didn’t notice the male that was waiting for him._

_He heard the sharp intake of someone breathing from behind him and he reacted on instinct._

_He kicked his right leg behind him, and when his attacker grabbed his foot to block his kick, he swung his body around to kick the person in the face, just as an unexpected voice whispered desperately, “Hyukie!”_

_Eunhyuk did try to stop his kick from hitting his mate in time, but Siwon was quicker. As Eunhyuk stumbles nosily to regain his balance, Siwon reached out his hand to steady him with a whispered apology._

_Heart pounding in an assortment of emotions, Eunhyuk spun to face him again, this time he was apologising rather than attacking._

_Siwon shushed him and pulled him into a hug that Eunhyuk immediately returned and melted into._

_They held each other for the first time in a long time, ignoring the sounds of the men that were getting closer to them._

_“This is your last chance, Eunhyuk, come willingly!”_

_They were a little too close for comfort now._

_Siwon tensed and Eunhyuk lifted his face from resting on the other’s solid, muscular chest to see his mate glaring over his shoulder._

_“Siwon, don’t,” he pleads quietly as his mate starts to let him go so that he can go towards the men._

_Siwon turns his attention from the approaching men and grasps Eunhyuk’s hand._

_Eunhyuk’s skin tingled as golden eyes met his normal ones. “They’ve threatened you, they don’t deserve to live,” Siwon’s wolf says to him, and Eunhyuk glances behind his mate as the noise of the men approaching grew louder._

_“Maybe so, but they aren’t the monsters here, he is. They’re just following orders,” Eunhyuk reasons with his mate and gently tugs the male forwards, trying to get away from the approaching danger._

_Siwon’s eyes seemed to soften at his words, much to Eunhyuk’s confusion. “Still innocent after everything you’ve been through,” he whispers tenderly as he reaches to caress Eunhyuk’s blushing cheek._

_Eunhyuk freezes as two things happen at that moment. The first thing that happened was the sound of the men slipping in behind them, some with guns cocked and ready, and some ready to fight with their hands. The second thing that happened was Siwon bending his head down to Eunhyuk’s and brushing his lips over his cheek and towards his ear._

_But it was the whispered words in his ear that had snapped him free._

_“These men will not stop us from doing what we should’ve done nine years ago. I refuse to lose you again.”_

_“Siwon?” one of the men calls out in confusion, and Eunhyuk tries not to shake as Siwon turns to face the men._

_They all noticed him shielding Eunhyuk with his body._

_“What are you doing?” the lead male moves forward, impatience echoing in his words._

_Eunhyuk notices the way Siwon is shaking and places his palm to the bottom of Siwon’s back._

_This is what they avoided years ago, and here they were, about to announce something that will change everything._

_“What am I doing?” Siwon repeats quietly, and shifts his footing into a fighting stance. “I’m protecting my mate, that’s what I’m doing,” He snarls out, and at the word ‘mate,’ the men dropped their guns._

_“You have got to be kidding me,” the leader groans and smashes his fist into a nearby tree._

_“Do you want to test me and find out?” Siwon hisses and Eunhyuk swallows at some of the looks that come over some of the males faces._

_Three males step forward._

_“If you fuckers want to throw down with him, then go ahead. Don’t expect me to clean up your organs,” The leader curses at them, and the men pounce._

_Siwon meets them straight on and Eunhyuk yelps in fear at the snarls and growling that erupt into the air._

_He hadn’t fought for his life in years, so when a male came charging at him, he was thankful for his instinct to take over._

_He blocked the powerful kick that was aimed for his ribs, and while holding onto the attacker’s foot, he smashed his right foot into his attacker’s remaining leg._

_He heard the sound of the leg snapping and the male howled in pain, and he shoved the male away from him, and while he was off balance, Eunhyuk delivered his own kick, this one aiming for the head._

_The male crumpled unconscious to the ground just as someone booted Eunhyuk in his lower back._

_He grunted in pain at the unexpected attack and just spun in time to grasp the fist that was aimed at the back of his head._

_He grappled with the male, but the male was stronger than Eunhyuk, and before he knew it, his arms were locked against his chest._

_He met the male’s stare, and immediately recognised the eyes staring down at him._

_The memory of Donghae being taken from him and into a house flashed in front of his eyes, and he growled in fury and hatred._

_“Aiden,” Eunhyuk almost spits the name._

_“How’s Donghae?” the male smirks, and Eunhyuk spits in the other’s face._

_Aiden growls loudly into Eunhyuk’s face, and with a free hand, grabs his throat and squeezes._

_“I never liked you Lee twins,” Aiden snarls. “Your parents fucked up with their first kid and had to try again in order not to disappoint the pack. They had to come back here because of you and precious Donghae.”_

_He grins as Eunhyuk doesn’t even fight the pressure against his windpipe. “Maybe I chased after the wrong twin all of those years ago,” Aiden ponders in amusement. “By the way, did I ever tell you that Donghae has a pretty mouth and a nice tight throat?”_

_Those words were like a punch to Eunhyuk’s chest. It knocked all the air out of him._

_He had frozen in horror of what he heard that he didn’t even register the sound of the Siwon voicing his rage._

_He only realised it when Aiden started to laugh, and Eunhyuk’s vision went red._

_He slammed his head into a surprised Aiden, and with the grip on his arms gone, he started to rain heavy and vicious blows to the male that tortured his twin._

_“Hey, hey!” the leader calls out as he pushes Eunhyuk backwards._

_Red mist still over him, he locked eyes with his new enemy._

_“Siwon, get your mate under control,” the male casually orders as he helped up a bloody Aiden._

_“Bastard,” Eunhyuk growls out as he feels Siwon weave his arms around his waist, his eyes never leaving the two males._

_“Siwon, now is the time to go. Your point as been noted and I’ll inform him of it,” the leader shoves Aiden, who was clutching his broken nose, back the way they came._

_“Question, why didn’t you fight?” Siwon asks as he gently strokes Eunhyuk’s back to calm him down._

_“Because we were asked to bring Eunhyuk in, and Eunhyuk is your mate,” the leader explains. “He said nothing about hurting you, so I haven’t.”_

_He shakes his head at the unconscious males on the forest floor. “I’d rather not share the same fate as them.”_

_Siwon nods and they both turn to leave as well, but they freeze when the leader calls out to them. “I should’ve said something earlier. He was following us, but your step brother, Henry, stopped him.”_

_They both turned to see a sad face on the leader, but a pleased one on Aiden’s. “You know how he feels about Henry, Siwon.”_

_The leader shoves himself and Aiden out of the way as Eunhyuk and Siwon race past._

_Eunhyuk follows Siwon as he tracks his brother’s scent, and his running feet falter when the overwhelming smell of blood smacks into them._

_The smell of Henry’s blood._

_The closer they got, the stronger the metallic scent came and also Henry’s painful cries became louder._

_When they found him, not that far from where the forest line began near the village, Eunhyuk couldn’t believe what he was seeing._

_Siwon was by the younger male’s side in an instant, and they both began to work on stopping the gaping wounds from spilling more blood._

_“What the hell did he do to you?” Siwon whispers in anguish as he gently presses his shirt against Henry’s shredded stomach._

_“It doesn’t matter; we need to leave,” Henry gasps out, and Eunhyuk begins to help calm down the shocked male._

_Siwon glances up at him with fear in his eyes. “How can we leave?” he whispers and gestures madly at his injured brother._

_“Not...staying,” Henry chokes out in pain as Eunhyuk surprises them both by slowly wrapping his arms around the smaller male’s body and lifting._

_Siwon helps get Henry somewhat comfortable, and trips over himself to follow Eunhyuk’s determined footsteps._

_“The free zone is just outside of here,” Eunhyuk explains as he tries to move as gently as he could, but with the urgency of getting Henry away and getting him help, it was making him move a lot faster._

_“Hyuk, Henry...” Siwon began, but at Eunhyuk’s narrowed gaze, he snapped his mouth shut._

_“Hyung?” Henry whispered weakly, and Eunhyuk soothed him with reassurances that he was going to be fine._

_He just had to make an hour’s journey into twenty minutes. Longer than that, and Henry will be too far gone for help._

_“Just hold on, Henry, please just hold on,” both Eunhyuk and Siwon whispered as they both worked together to get the deteriorating male to safety._

“Hyuk?” Siwon calls to him in worry, and Eunhyuk breaks away from the memory.

 

“It’s nothing,” he mumbles and tries move past Siwon, only to be shoved gently against the door.

 

“I told you, it’s not your fault,” Siwon stress firmly. “Henry, albeit stupidly, knew what he was doing. He knew that by standing up to him, just after he had failed to shift again, he was putting himself in danger. He knew all of this, Hyukie, but he still went through it. He went through it for us so that I could save you, so you in turn, could save us,” Siwon whispers desperately as he presses soothing kisses along Eunhyuk’s forehead.

 

“Some saviour I am, they’re coming here tomorrow, aren’t they?” he bites out in anger to himself, and Siwon grabs his face and stares at him with dark eyes.

 

“You saved me and my brother. You helped us get away. You are my saviour, my life, and my mate.”

 

Siwon doesn’t give him the chance to argue because he brings his lips down onto Eunhyuk’s.

 

They both jolt and moan as the bond that has been silent for all of these years, reopens.

 

They were both hit by lust and love as they were reunited, their wolves fuelling their emotions with their own, and Eunhyuk finds himself a moaning mess as Siwon trails from his lips and down his neck.

 

 _Mine,_ came four voices through the bond, and Eunhyuk and Siwon seal the thought with a deep, exploring kiss.

 


	32. Chapter 32

Donghae follows Kyuhyun to his room. He was going to join Sungmin and tell the other three males in there the good and bad news, but when he began to trail after his older sibling, Sungmin stopped and just stared at them. Donghae had narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Sungmin stared hard at his mate, before turning and leaving the kitchen. He had moved to follow, but Kyuhyun prevented him doing so by declaring it was their turn to do the dishes.

 

While they cleaned the dishes in silence, Donghae’s mind was hiding from the open bond between them. He could feel Kyuhyun trying to slip through, trying to see what was going through Donghae’s mind, but he would gently prevent the male from finding anything out.

 

He had to bite his lip in order not to apologise for the frustrated sigh that Kyuhyun gave then.

 

Kyuhyun silently opens the bedroom door and enters with Donghae following closely behind. He turns and closes the door quietly, and listens to Kyuhyun shuffle around his bedroom.

 

He hears the bed dip and Kyuhyun sigh softly as he lay down.

 

Donghae turns his attention to his mate that was lying on his stomach and starts to move silently towards the bed. Kyuhyun didn’t notice his presence at first, not until he placed his knee on the bed and started to climb from the bottom and up so that he was knelt beside Kyuhyun’s side.

 

“Hae?” Kyuhyun questioned softly, and turns his face to look over his shoulder at him.

 

Donghae smiles softly and reaches his hands out to gently rub Kyuhyun’s shoulders. He frowns when Kyuhyun tenses underneath his palm, and with one hand, he drags his fingers up and down the back of Kyuhyun’s long, pale neck.

 

“Relax,” he whispers quietly, and hums in approval when Kyuhyun slowly begins to relax.

 

Kyuhyun places his slightly blushing face back to rest against his pillow and Donghae begins to move his hands from his shoulders and down his spine.

 

He smiles when Kyuhyun sighs in relaxation as Donghae gently massages his spine and lower back.

 

“What’s brought this on?” Kyuhyun questions curiously and tries to look over his shoulder once again, but Donghae playfully taps the turning head forwards.

 

“I just wanted to do something for you,” he continues to whisper, and locks his eyes on the part of Kyuhyun’s face he could see.

 

Slowly, one of his hands leaves Kyuhyun’s lower back and begins to slip under the navy sweater that Kyuhyun was wearing. As soon as his warm fingers touched Kyuhyun’s skin, the male jolted in surprise, but before he could snap his head to look at Donghae, Donghae’s head was directly next to his ear.

 

“Relax. It’s only a massage,” he whispers once again as his hand begins to search Kyuhyun’s back.

 

He could feel the muscles clearly now, and Donghae’s other hand begins to pull up the navy sweater so that he could see his mate’s back.

 

He pulls back from Kyuhyun’s ear and gazes at the pale back. Clothed, you would assume that Kyuhyun had little muscle, but once the clothes were gone, Donghae would always marvel the beauty of how subtle Kyuhyun’s body really was.

 

He pushed with both hands up, dragging the sweater higher until it reached Kyuhyun’s shoulders.

 

He tugged and Kyuhyun raised his arms so that he could slip the sweater from off his mate’s body. Now that he had nothing restricting him, Donghae lightly trailed his fingers up and down, and around Kyuhyun’s back.

 

Donghae has to bite his lip when Kyuhyun shudders as his fingers trail from his spine and down towards his plump behind, but he withdrew his fingers just as they made contact with the dark denim. 

 

Donghae shifts his position from kneeling beside Kyuhyun, to straddling the back of his thighs. He doesn’t put any of his weight onto Kyuhyun, but braces himself on his elbows.

 

While his fingers lightly trace and rub Kyuhyun’s side and hip bone, Donghae lowers his face and blows softly up the male’s spine.

 

Kyuhyun’s reaction was a surprised gasp at first, but the gasp quickly turns into a small choked moan.

 

Kyuhyun moves to push himself up, and that was when Donghae puts his weight onto the male.

 

He pushes the male back down with his hands on Kyuhyun’s shoulders, and instead of straddling his thighs, he’s now sat on Kyuhyun’s comfortable behind.

 

“Donghae, what are you doing?” Kyuhyun growls out, and Donghae shivers at the sound.

 

He leans down and presses light little kisses up Kyuhyun’s spine, and Kyuhyun reflexively arches in response as Donghae works his way up to Kyuhyun’s neck.

 

He nibbles on smooth neck, ignoring the way Kyuhyun was demanding him to stop in a breathy voice.

 

“I don’t want to stop, I want to continue. I want to be yours,” Donghae whispers as he presses his lips to Kyuhyun’s neck, and begins to suck and bite.

 

Within seconds, Kyuhyun flips them so that he was the one on top and Donghae was on the bottom.

 

Donghae bites his lips at the lust in Kyuhyun’s eyes and trails his gaze down, running his hands up the male’s slightly heaving chest.

 

“Donghae....” Kyuhyun calls quietly to him, but Donghae was too busy pressing kisses to his collarbone.

 

At Kyuhyun’s deep moan, his hands travel quickly to the Kyuhyun’s jeans, and with shaking fingers, he unbuckles the belt.

 

He gasps in surprise and frustration when Kyuhyun grabs both of his hands into a tight grip.

 

Donghae looks up to see Kyuhyun staring down at him with worry now, no sign of the lust that was once there.

 

“We can’t do this,” Kyuhyun whispers, and Donghae narrows his eyes at the words.

 

“We can, and we will,” he growls out and bucks his hips up.

 

He uses his enclosed hands to help him roll a caught off guard Kyuhyun over. When he was back on top, he starts attacking Kyuhyun’s lips with his own, fighting his way to unbuckle Kyuhyun’s belt properly.

 

Kyuhyun was determined not to let him get what he needed, and when he started to hear Kyuhyun telling him to stop through their bond, Donghae whimpered in desperation.

 

 _“Hae, stop this!”_ Kyuhyun orders sharply, and Donghae shudders as a wave of submission rolls through him.

 

 _No, not now!_ He yells to himself as goes limp on Kyuhyun’s shaking body.

 

They both lay still, just their pants of exertion echoing through the now tense room.

 

Donghae’s face crumples and he can’t stop the tears from falling onto Kyuhyun’s chest.

 

He feels his mate’s concern and anguish through their bond, and it makes him sob harder as he tries to get off Kyuhyun.

 

“No, no, stay,” Kyuhyun whispers softly as he cradles him back onto his chest.

 

Donghae weakly fights, but gives in when Kyuhyun begs him to stop.

 

“I-I’m so sorry,” Donghae coughs out as his body still shakes with sobs.

 

Kyuhyun hugs him closer and rubs a soothing hand up and down his back. “Hae, tell me what’s wrong,” Kyuhyun pleads gently as he presses a firm kiss against his forehead.

 

Donghae shakes his head and feels a tidal wave of emotion hit into him, and going from Kyuhyun’s strangled gasp, so does he.

 

“You told me you would start letting me in. You said you were going to start healing,” Kyuhyun reminds him desperately as Donghae fights back the fear that was creeping over him.

 

“Tell me, Donghae,” his mate begs him, and Donghae gasps loudly as Kyuhyun pushes through their bond to chase away his fear with his love.

 

 “I need you to claim me,” Donghae whimpers desperately, and pushes himself up so that he could stare into Kyuhyun’s wide and confused eyes.

 

“Donghae, we both said that-” Kyuhyun begins, but Donghae presses his lips messily against Kyuhyun’s.  


Donghae tries to gain access to Kyuhyun’s mouth and whines when Kyuhyun forces their lips from each other.

 

“Donghae, please-” Kyuhyun once again tries to speak, but Donghae cuts him off.

 

This time, it was his words that forced Kyuhyun to stop speaking.

 

“Please, Kyuhyun, if you don’t then he will!” He cries softly and forces himself to roll off Kyuhyun and onto his side as his body shakes.

 

Kyuhyun follows him and pulls Donghae back to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around Donghae’s chest and waist, his legs intertwined with Donghae’s.

 

“He’s coming back, Kyuhyun. He’s going to take them back there. He’s going to take me back there,” he rambles to himself as his fear makes his body shake and twitch.

 

“Donghae, turn and look at me,” Kyuhyun clearly requests, and Donghae forces his body to follow.

 

It was when he was situated so that his face was in line with Kyuhyun’s that he noticed the tension in, not just the room, but also in Kyuhyun’s face.

 

A tension that makes Donghae’s body erupt with goose bumps and make him swallow dryly.

 

“I will never let anyone touch or hurt you, Donghae,” Kyuhyun vows, “never mind someone trying to take you away from me.” Kyuhyun says it with so much possession and promise that it made Donghae relax.

 

“It pains me that you had to act that way from out of fear,” Kyuhyun whispers, and brings a hand up to rub the tears that fall from his eyes.

 

Donghae whimpers at the sight of seeing Kyuhyun’s tears fall, knowing that he was the one who caused them.

 

“No, Donghae, not you. You didn’t cause any of this,” Kyuhyun soothes as he places a tender kiss to Donghae’s lips.

 

“I shouldn’t have even done what I did, Kyu, I was trying to force you into sex,” Donghae admits with shame, and could feel his cheeks burn at his actions.

 

“Your fear was controlling you, but please, next time, speak to me,” Kyuhyun pleads gently and Donghae nods quickly in answer.

 

They both lay there, cuddled tightly into each other. The tension in the room was still there, and Kyuhyun was still tense with the question that Donghae knew he wanted to ask.

 

“You can ask,” he whispers as he stares down at Kyuhyun’s chest.

 

He feels Kyuhyun tense at his words, and even more so when he asks, “who is he?”

 

Donghae sighs as his stomach begins to churn at the thought of saying the name.

 

Kyuhyun rubs his back when he felt his body begin to tremble. Donghae glances up at Kyuhyun’s patient and soft eyes, takes a deep breath, and pushes his remaining fear away.

 

“Choi Dongwon, the alpha and also father to Siwon and Henry.”

 

 

 

Dongwon stared at the fairly, big house that was keeping four members of his pack.

 

His nostrils filtered through the scents of the pack members and the alpha’s own distinct scent that was embedded into the land surrounding the white house. His lip curled up in distaste at the scent, and he spat out phlegm at a nearby tree.

 

His whole body was tingling with the anticipation of going into a fight, his wolf was itching to be free and claim back what was his.

 

He glanced behind him and grinned at the hunger that had darkened his pack’s eyes.

 

They were all silently pacing, trying to displace some of their impatience of having to wait.

 

He returned his gaze back to the house and wished that it wasn’t night, but day. He craved to see the blood that was about to be spilled, splattered all over the pureness of the house.

 

“You are not to touch Donghae, do you all understand?” he clearly, but quietly, states to the men behind him.

 

He smirks at the eagerness he gets from them, he could feel their muscles itching to move and invade.

 

“You are to bring back my sons, and Eunhyuk. I shall find Donghae myself,” he adds as he slowly begins to move to the side, and his pack leaned forwards, ready.

 

“Are we killing or disabling the others, sir?” a male asks, and Dongwon turns to face the male.

 

He grins. “Kill them.”

 

 

 

“So, your father did this to you?” Sungmin asks cautiously as he pointlessly checks the monitors beside Henry’s bed for the fifth time.

 

“Those things are a waste of time and electricity, I don’t need a monitor to tell me that my heart is still beating and that my lungs are working, I can tell you that myself.” Henry shoves the monitors away from his bed and Sungmin quickly catches them before they could fall.

 

Sungmin raises his eyebrows at the little show of aggression and turns to face Henry, who was looking out of the window.

 

His profile was tense, and Sungmin’s hands itched to rub those tensed shoulders.

 

He fisted his hands at his sides instead. “Why don’t you try and talk about what happened instead of taking it out on inanimate objects?” He keeps his eyes glued to Henry’s face, and he sees the younger male’s jaw clench at his words.

 

“Why don’t you just drop it?” Henry bites out, and Sungmin tries not to flinch at the harsh tone.

 

He pushes on, regardless of the way Henry was making him feel. “It will help you to speak about what happened, Henry.” He edges closer to the bed, and froze when Henry snaps his head towards him.

 

“Will it help me heal on the inside?” Henry sarcastically asks, and when Sungmin tries to answer, he shakes his head to stop him. “Okay then, fine. My step father hates me. He hates the fact that my mother was only able to have me and not give him any children of his own, even though he has Siwon from his first marriage, he wanted more.”

 

Sungmin couldn’t do anything but stare sadly as Henry’s rant gathered more steam.

 

“He hated that I wasn’t his flesh and blood and that I was a part of his family, and when he found out that I couldn’t shift properly, he grew disgusted with me. Siwon was like what Hyuk was towards Donghae with me. He protected me from his father and would stand up to him. Needless to say, Dongwon didn’t take too well to having his own son stand up to him.” Henry wavers at the end, and Sungmin sees the pain in his eyes and face as he goes back through his memories.

 

Sungmin couldn’t have stopped his body from moving even if he had wanted to.

 

He slipped onto the bed beside Henry and gathered the slightly shaking male into his arms. He rests his head against Henry’s soft brown locks and breathes in the other’s scent.

 

Henry was tense at first, but when Sungmin begins to rub a comforting hand up his spine, he relaxes against Sungmin.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sungmin whispers into Henry’s hair and sly places an apologetic kiss there.

 

Henry sighs heavily and sags against Sungmin, who embraces the added weight of the male.

 

“Don’t be. You were right, it has somewhat helped by letting it out,” Henry reassures, and Sungmin tenses when Henry lifts his head up to look at him.

 

Their faces were so close to each other that Sungmin’s heart was tripping over itself at the close proximity.

 

Henry refused to remove his gaze from Sungmin’s eyes, and Sungmin felt like his whole body was frozen, even though his blood felt like it was on fire.

 

“Siwon was right,” Henry whispers thickly, and Sungmin’s stomach was sent fluttering at those words.

 

“About w-what?” Sungmin’s voice cracks and he blushes at the sound.

 

Henry, on the other hand, smiles softly and reaches a hand up to touch Sungmin’s flushed cheek.

 

“I think you already know,” Henry whispers, and his eyes flicker to Sungmin’s lips, causing a jolt of heat to go through Sungmin.

 

Sungmin’s eyes flutter shut as Henry moves closer, closing the distance between their faces.

 

Sungmin was expecting soft lips against his.

 

He wasn’t expecting a resounding bang that hit their eardrums.

 

His eyes shot open as sounds of ferocious snarls began to play somewhere inside the house.

 

He took in Henry’s fearful expression and snarled himself.

 

It was time to say hello to the person who had tormented his family.

 

 

 


	33. Chapter 33

 

 

 

Dongwon watches from the outside as his pack infiltrates the house.

 

He had sent two groups of three inside, one group to the right, and the last one upstairs. He had five men left behind, backup in case the men he had sent in to the collect the four men that he owned were overcome by the pack inside.

 

The sound of his pack was like music to his ears as they went to do as he ordered.

 

He was itching to see the conflict begin, and he didn’t have to wait long to get it.

 

Somewhere upstairs a window violently smashes, and he just catches the sight of one of his men falling to the ground.

 

He sighs in annoyance when the fallen male doesn’t get back up.

 

“Who was that?” he asks his second in command.

 

“I believe it is Heechul, sir. From what I have been able to gather, he is like us when he is mad. He even looks it too.” his second informs him of the person responsible.

 

He glances up at the smashed window and chuckles at the scene that he was seeing. An enraged male was fighting another of his men, and his second was right, he looked possessed as he fought the man.

 

Dongwon raised an eyebrow when the male managed to subdue one of his males, impressed. His men were very hard to subdue, he knew that by years of having them fight one another.

 

“You two, one of you go upstairs, the other find the alpha. Kill whoever gets in your way,” he orders, and as the men do as they were told, he loses interest in the male that had already killed one of his men.

 

He chuckles when he hears a female scream, it reminds him that he should have told his men to bring the female as well.

 

“Didn’t you wish to have the female as well, sir?” his second asks curiously, and he shrugs in response.

 

“If she’s screaming just at the sight of my men, then she is pathetically weak. Besides, if I had remembered, she would be screaming for a different reason,” he explains in a dull bored tone and begins to circle the house, his men silently following him like shadows.

 

He catches a glimpse of what was happening in the kitchen and stops to watch the scene.

 

“That is Leeteuk, sir. He’s the alpha’s mate,” his second once again informs him, and he nods his head in acknowledgment.

 

Leeteuk may look skinny, but he currently had one of his men pinned on the kitchen island.

 

Both were swapping quick and brutal punches with each other.

 

“Not what I was expecting, if I’m honest,” he murmurs as he continues on, and his second hummed in agreement.

 

He reaches the backyard and pauses as the backdoor was ripped off its hinges.

 

He raises an eyebrow at seeing one of his men struggling to fight the male that had smashed them through the backdoor.

 

“Who?” He enquires with a wave of his hand towards the male’s direction.

 

“Hankyung, Heechul’s mate.”

 

Dongwon felt a spike of irritation go through him when Hankyung snapped the neck of the male.

 

He rolls his shoulders and takes a step forward towards Hankyung who had noticed their presence and was slowly rising up from the floor.

 

“I see you don’t play nice,” he calls to Hankyung.

 

“Like you’re one to talk. You jump us in during the night, using it as a cover. How cowardly is that?” Hankyung growls, and Dongwon feels his lips pull into a smile.

 

“The only people who I think are cowardly are my sons, and your alpha is housing them,” he casually corrects.

 

“No, Siwon and Henry aren’t cowards. They needed escape, so we helped them. They need a new pack, so we helped them.” Hankyung takes a step towards Dongwon, and he laughs at both the male’s words and bold approach.

 

“Such an underling,” Dongwon chuckles in amusement. “You think you have claimed them as a part of your pack? I hate to inform you but you cannot claim someone who is already a part of a pack. In order to do so, the alpha must either relinquish the bond he holds, or that alpha is killed.”

 

Dongwon waves at himself, smug. “And as you can see, I’m not willing to relinquish anything, nor am I dead.”

 

“We will see about that.” Is all Hankyung says before he is running towards Dongwon.

 

 

 

“Victoria!” Zhou Mi shouts anxiously as he runs up the stairs, searching for his mate.

 

At the sound of his voice, a wolf runs from the corridor that leads to the bedrooms and comes straight for him.

 

He grabs a hold of the banister and times it so that, when the wolf lunges for him, he can swing his weight over the banister and slam his long, powerful legs into the wolf’s jaw.

 

Stunned from his blow, he watches as the wolf trips over its own feet and goes down the stairs. Once the wolf is out of the way, Zhou Mi quickly swings himself back over the banister so that he isn’t hanging in the air no more.

 

As soon as his feet touch the stairs, he’s off running for their bedroom.

 

He could hear grunts coming from behind him and glances over his shoulder to see that Heechul’s bedroom door was open and shadows of him fighting someone flickered on the door.

 

He turns his attention back to the matter at hand, and he feels a trickle of relief slip through him when he sees that their bedroom door was still standing.

 

 _“Victoria, open the door,”_ he calls through their bond, and stutters to a halt at the image she sends him.

 

A man, a massive male, had his mate backed into a corner of their bedroom.

 

Red coloured his vision and he began to run again, straight for the wooden door.

 

He slammed his shoulder into the door and burst into the room, eyes immediately locking on his target.

 

Zhou Mi saw Victoria curled up in a ball just beside their bed, and her frightened whimpers made it feel as if someone was slashing him repeatedly with a knife.

 

He saw the bruise on her face, and he let out a guttural roar.

 

“ _Fucker,”_ both he and his wolf snarl as the male turns to smile at him.

 

“ _Victoria, close your eyes and block your ears. Do not move until I tell you to,”_ Zhou Mi orders through the bond as the male steps towards him.

 

Zhou Mi let a smile of his own grow on his face as he let his mind shut down, and his wolf took over.

 

 

 

Leetuek grunts as he rolls himself and his attacker off the kitchen island.

 

Plates and glasses smash along the way, and Leeteuk make sure that when they fall the male underneath him gets the broken shards into his back.

 

He growls when the male doesn’t even flinch as the broken shards stabbing onto his back, and grapples with the male’s flying fists that were trying to hit him again, and he only realised the presence of another male too late, just as  object smacks into the back of his head.

 

As he slowly slumped to the side and off the male underneath him, he curses to himself mentally.

 

The only thing he hears is the sound of Kangin’s outraged roar through their bond, the kitchen dimming into darkness as the male who he was fighting with and a new male stands over him, looking proud.

 

Just before he loses consciousness, he feels a spike of fear as hears one of the males say, “he’s pretty, who is it going to be, you or me?”

 

  _“Kangin...”_ he struggles to call through their bond, and as his eyes slip shut, he feels someone grab his upper arm.

 

He never heard Kangin’s reply.

 

 

 

“Sir?” His second calls over to him cautiously.

 

He had the heel of his foot digging into the Hankyung’s neck, and as he presses down again, chuckles at the pitiful whimper that escapes the bloody face.

 

“Change of plans,” he says as he leans down to inspect the damage he’s done to the male.

 

“What...what is the new plan, sir?”

 

He trails his finger over the bits of skin that were ripped open on Hankyung’s back and digs his nail into the open wound.

 

He relishes in the pained cry that manages to squeeze through the male’s throat.

 

 _“You are not to kill, just capture and bring them to the backyard. If you have killed already, bring the body, but do not kill them if they are still alive. I have a new game to play, do you all understand?”_ He orders out loud and through the bonds that held his pack to him.

 

He smiles in satisfaction when they all sent their replies through the bond, his men behind him murmuring in response. 

 

 

 

Heechul was seething.

 

He flings the useless male out of his window to join the other dead body down on their front yard.

 

The whole house was a mixture of sounds of conflict and aggression, and he couldn’t guess how many of the bastards were inside hurting his family. He stalked from his bedroom and spies a black wolf running from the stairs and towards the sound of a fight already happening down the corridor.

 

He feels his blood turn to ice when he recognises Zhou Mi’s painful whimper and Victoria crying.

 

He chases after the wolf, and as it turns to see who was behind it, Heechul’s leg flies out to smack into the ribcage of the wolf, breaking some bones due to his force.

 

“Hello, you piece of shit,” he snarls, and before the wolf could react from the surprise, he grabs the neck of the wolf with his forearm, and with his free hand, he grabs the muzzle tightly and wretches it until he feels the wolf’s spine snap with a sickening crack.

 

He drops the limp mass and walks over it, his eyes on his brother-in-law.

 

Zhou Mi was pinned in an awkward position and the massive male was using his bulk to put a dangerous amount of pressure on Zhou Mi’s vulnerable neck.

 

One wrong move and the male would no doubt snap his neck.

 

“It’s nice to see someone uses their fat as a way to cripple someone,” Heechul taunts, trying to gain his attention as he enters the room, drawing everyone’s attention.

 

He ran his eyes over Victoria, took in the darkening bruise on her face, and felt his eyes narrow deadly at the bastard.

 

The male was still for a few seconds before nodding to whatever he was thinking.

 

Heechul didn’t like the look that spawned on the male’s face.

 

“Back room, to your left. You will see us,” he directs out loud and Heechul turns to see no one behind him.

 

“By the way, who is close to the male called Hankyung?” the male asks smugly, and Heechul slowly turns to stare at the male who now had his hands restraining Zhou Mi, his neck no longer in danger.

 

“Heechul, don’t, he’s baiting you,” Zhou Mi gasps out, he still had the male’s weight on him so it was making his breathing difficult.

 

 Heechul ignored him. “So much as touch him, and you will be ten tons lighter than you are already,” he threatens, and feels a snarl slip through his teeth when the male chuckles.

 

The male snorts as he drags Zhou Mi off the floor and holds him so that he couldn’t move without causing immense pain to his arms and shoulders. “Don’t worry your pretty face; someone has already beaten me to it. Though, I hope it wasn’t his looks that attracted you to him because you might be a little disappointed when you see him now.”

 

Heechul felt sick, and by the paleness in Zhou Mi’s face, so did he.

 

“Why don’t you be good and come nicely? I mean, my alpha has your mate ripped to shreds and pinned by the neck outside. All I have to do his tell him you are being disobedient and he’ll just kill him,” the male casually states, but Heechul saw the way the male’s eyes danced with amusement at the situation.

 

Heechul felt the presence approach from behind, and he had to lock his body not to react to the firm and controlling hand that grabs his shoulder.

 

He feels detached as he watches his brother-in-law and his mate get shoved out of the room, with Heechul and his guard following closely behind.

 

Never once has he felt so helpless like he does now.

 

 

 

 _“Yesung, do not argue with me and stay with Kibum and Ryeowook. They are your main priority now, not us,”_ Kangin orders through the pack bond.

 

He had made Yesung and the two humans leave, they didn’t want to, but he made them go.

 

Now, Yesung was trying to return to the house to help them.

 

Kangin couldn’t allow him to do that, even though he would be a great help to fight their enemy, he needed someone on the outside.

 

Yesung promised to gather some allies, and Kangin couldn’t refuse that, they needed all the help they could get.

 

He stares down at his feet at the male that lay there. The male had tried to attack Kibum, but Kangin had intervened just in time and took the powerful blow that would’ve killed the human.  

 

He had been fighting with the male when he felt and heard Leeteuk being overcome by the other pack.

 

He had lost his sanity for a few seconds, and when he managed to get it back, he had a dead male in his hands.

 

It was never his intention to kill them, but that had changed when they threatened his mate.

 

He silently left the garage, unnerved at how silent his house has become now, and goes around the outside of his home, following the scent of his own member’s blood.

 

He could only pray that Hankyung would be okay, he was afraid of what would happen to Heechul and Zhou Mi if the male didn’t make it.

 

He turned the corner and saw his enemy standing in his backyard.

 

He didn’t pause in his journey, he didn’t flinch when he saw his pack being held and guarded like they were rabid animals.

 

He didn’t dare look at Leeteuk properly, but he saw that he was still breathing and awake now, but he refused to linger on his mate.

 

He was terrified that he would lose it, and in doing so, he would lose everything.

 

“Kangin, how nice of you to join us.”

 

Kangin grounds his feet and glances at the male who had spoken.

 

On one side of the male stood silent men that were rigid stiff, on the other side of the male, were five members of his family.

 

Heechul was shaking and staring at Hankyung that lay in front of him. His mate was so close to him yet he wasn’t allowed to touch him.

 

Kangin could wholeheartedly understand the pain and helplessness in Heechul’s body.

 

Zhou Mi was sporting a bruised face, and to Kangin’s shock, so was Victoria. They were sitting near each other, but Victoria was almost wedged into one of the unknown male’s legs.

 

It looked like she was a dog and the man was her master, and she was being forced to sit in between his feet.

 

Zhou Mi kept on glancing at Victoria, whose gaze was down towards the floor, her whole body screaming submission.

 

Kangin caught Zhou Mi’s eye and saw the same emotions that held Heechul into place.

 

He swallowed down the anger of seeing his family hurting.

 

“Don’t look like that, Kangin,” the male calls and reclaims his attention again.

 

“What do you want to me to look like? Should I be joyous because you have attacked my family? My mate?” he growls the last word accidentally, and forces his wolf and anger further away from the surface.

 

The male smiles, but it was a twisted one. “Now you know how I feel.”

 

“I never attacked you or your pack,” Kangin argues.

 

“No, but you took away a _part_ of my pack. That is as good as attacking me,” the male growls and starts to head towards Kangin.

 

“Sir, remember what you came here for. You didn’t come to scrap with the alpha; you came here to take your sons home.” A male speaks up and the alpha halts at his words.

 

Kangin was confused at that.

 

The alpha smiles at his confusion, and Kangin feels like someone has punched him in the stomach when realisation hits him.

 

“Siwon and Henry are your sons?” he clarifies, desperately hoping that he was wrong.

 

“Choi Siwon, the only son of our alpha, Choi Dongwon, and Choi-Lau Henry is our alpha’s step son,” The same male speaks again, and Kangin breaks his promise that he had made to himself.

 

He glances over at Leeteuk to see his surprised expression, and when Leeteuk catches his eye, he sends him a quiet question.

 

 _“Kangin, what do we do?”_ Leeteuk asks him through their bond, and for the second time in the past twenty-four hours, he was unable to give his mate an answer.

 

He stares at Dongwon, and wonders himself what he was going to do.

 

Apparently, Dongwon already had that sorted.

 

 

 

“You’re going to stand aside and let me and my men go into your home and collect what is ours,” he tells Kangin, and he wishes he could take a picture of the reactions he gets in return.

 

“I don’t think so.” Kangin snaps, and Dongwon motions to the male who held Leeteuk.

 

The men grabs Leeteuk’s hair and yanks it back, placing a silver knife against where the male’s thumping pulse was.

 

Dongwon expected a whimper or something, but Leeteuk didn’t make a sound.

 

Kangin’s face was like thunder, but he understood his point.

 

“I hate playing unfair, but like I said, you have my family somewhere in there, and I’ll do anything to get them back,” he tells Kangin as he motions his remaining men to move forwards with him.

 

“It’s a shame that you are using us as reason to attack this pack, father.”

 

Dongwon’s surprised to see his son and step son walking through the back door of the white house, Siwon leading.

 

He was also stunned to see a male he didn’t expect to see, and he glanced at his second in command.

 

“Sungmin?” the male questions unsteadily, his voice quiet and shaky with emotion.

 

Dongwon frowns at that, but turns to look at the eldest son of the Lee family.

 

“Hello, father.” Sungmin spat the word ‘father’, and Dongwon saw the male beside him flinch from out of the corner of his eye.

 

 _Oh, if only you knew,_ he thinks to himself in amusement as he watches hatred burn from Sungmin’s eyes.

 

 

 


	34. Chapter 34

 

 

 

 

Sungmin hated that he was able to recognise his father straight away; it meant that his memories of his so-called parents were still there, even though he had spent years burying them.

 

He gripped Eunhyuk’s hand tightly and squared his shoulders. There was a reason why they had come out.

 

He stares at Dongwon. He had never met the male before, but he knew of him. He used to hear his parents whisper his name, but when they saw that Sungmin was near, they would either shoo him out of the room or stop speaking.

 

But Eunhyuk, on the other hand, has met him, and by the shaking that the male was doing, Sungmin knew that Eunhyuk’s own memories of the male were plaguing him.

 

He was about to whisper reassuringly to his little brother, but Siwon was already there, whispering into his ear.

 

Sungmin smiles at the two, forgetting just who stood in front of them.

 

As it turns out, Dongwon didn’t like seeing that sort of affection.

 

“Siwon, you are a Choi, don’t you dare do stuff like that,” Dongwon rebukes him harshly, and Sungmin feels his throat tingle with the need to snarl.

 

“I can do what I like, father. He is my mate,” Siwon argues back, defiant, and doesn’t even flinch when Dongwon snarls lowly at the defiance.

 

“Do not talk back to me,” Dongwon snarls, and a pure wave of dominance smacks into them.

 

Sungmin could feel it, but it couldn’t affect him since Dongwon wasn’t his alpha. Siwon, on the other hand, groaned and fell to his knees.

 

Eunhyuk moved to help him.

 

“Lee Eunhyuk, do not touch what isn’t yours.” Dongwon thunders and Eunhyuk scrunches his eyes shut in fear, cowering slightly.

 

Sungmin snarls and steps forwards in front of his brother and Siwon.

 

“I think you’ll find he can touch him. They are mated. You may scare my brothers, but you do not scare me,” he growled at Dongwon, and shows with his eyes just how much he wasn’t scared of him.

 

Dongwon rolls his eyes, not the slightest bothered. “What can a broken thing like you do that could harm me?”

 

Sungmin refuses to let that comment hurt him, but Dongwon wasn’t finished.

 

“Tell me, how does it feel to be alone, Sungmin? Your parents abandoned you, your brothers were taken from you, and even though you have them now, I hear they both have mates. They’ll end up leaving you, and you’ll be alone again. So tell me, how does it feel to know that you will never have someone that will stay with you?” Dongwon cruelly attacks him, and Sungmin can’t stop that one from hurting him.

 

“If anybody is alone, it’s you, Dongwon.”

 

Sungmin snaps his gaze to stare wide-eyed at Henry who slowly stepped forward and grasped Sungmin’s hand.

 

Dongwon’s eyes filled with disgust. “Have I not taught you by now to never call me by my name?”

 

Henry scoffs. “I’m not going to call you my father when you aren’t. My father died when I was a baby. You claim to be my father because you forced marriage onto my mother. So no, Dongwon, I won’t give you that title.” Henry pulls Sungmin closer to him, and he couldn’t help the blush from crossing his face.

 

Dongwon looked like he was going to explode with rage. “Don’t you dare,” he demands, eyes on them.

 

Henry chuckles. “Dare to do what? Comfort my mate?” Dongwon visibly snapped straighter at that, and Henry continues, “looks like you were wrong, Sungmin will never be alone. He has me.”

 

Sungmin knew it was the wrong time, but hearing the admission come from Henry, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off him. He stupidly began to shake. He didn’t know if it was because of excitement, worry, or fear, he just grasped Henry’s face into his hands and stared into Henry’s honest and caring eyes.

 

“This is what you were trying to say earlier?” he asks quietly, and shivers when Henry nods.

 

“You are mine, and I am yours,” Henry whispers, and Sungmin closes his eyes as Henry moved his face towards Sungmin.

 

But just like before, they were interrupted before they could have their first kiss.

 

“It sort of makes sense.” Dongwon’s voice cuts through them. “Put two broken pieces together and they might fit. That describes you and Sungmin perfectly.” Dongwon coldly says, and Henry snaps his head back to glare murderously at the male.

 

Kangin and the others growl and snarl at the insult towards Sungmin, and he glances to see that his pack members were slowly coming back to life.

 

Their fear slips away as Kangin whispers into their minds, _“he’s going to attack Eunhyuk and Sungmin; he will try to destroy the bonds that are preventing Henry and Siwon from returning with him. Eunhyuk is classed as being free since Dongwon never inducted the twins into his pack, it’s just their parents that are bound to the pack.”_

Just as Kangin’s word echo through his mind, Dongwon orders in a low, demanding voice.

 

“You know what to do.”

 

 

 

At once, the backyard erupts into a battleground.

 

Eunhyuk had just enough time to see Kangin and his pack shooting up from off the floor and engage into multiple fights before he himself was thrown into a fight of his own.

 

Siwon pushed him out of the way as his old pack came charging at him, but it didn’t really do any good since Eunhyuk was shoved into the males.

 

He ducked, kicked, and dodged the blows that were aimed at him. It didn’t help that these men were much older and stronger than Eunhyuk, and he was debating whether or not he could risk finding a place to hide and shift when he heard the sound of clothing ripping and seeing Heechul shift in mid air.

 

He couldn’t help but stop and stare at how quick and fluid the male’s shift was.

 

Eunhyuk ducked and rolled across the dry, cold grass, all the while his attention was on Heechul’s wolf form. He watched as the wolf let out a ferocious growl and barrelled into the men that were surrounding Zhou Mi and Victoria who were protecting Hankyung, who was struggling to stand by himself.

 

Eunhyuk was smacked in between his shoulder blade because of his distraction, and his feet barely just got his balance again.

 

He forces himself to face his attackers and fights back just as hard as they do.

 

But he was yet again distracted, this time by Dongwon, who’s voice bellows over the noise of the fighting.

 

“You said earlier that the reason why I came here was not for you or Henry, but for something else. You were right.”

 

Everyone pauses and turns to look at Dongwon who was smirking and standing with his arms crossed, his second – his father – standing beside him, protecting him.

 

“You won’t get to him,” Kangin snarls as he makes his way to Dongwon.

 

Dongwon’s lips twisted into a disgusting smile. “I don’t need too. _He’s_ already there.”

 

Kangin snarls and threw himself at his father while Dongwon laughs at his actions and steps back, allowing his father to fight for him.

 

Eunhyuk felt like he couldn’t breathe.

 

He ducks and shoves past the men that were trying to kill him, his mind only thinking of one thing, and that was to warn Donghae and Kyuhyun.

 

“Hyuk!” Siwon calls after him in a panic as he chases after him.

 

“Aiden is going after him, I need to warn him!” he shouts, and out of nowhere, he was tackled from the right.

 

He grunts at the painful landing and grapples with the snarling male on top of him.

 

 _Kyuhyun, you better protect him!_ Eunhyuk screams in his mind as he’s forced to fight instead of running to help his unsuspecting twin.

 

 

 

Donghae could not, for the life of him, stop shaking, and they weren’t little shakes either, they were nearly violent.

 

Kyuhyun had barricaded their bedroom door as soon as they had heard the snarls, and refused to leave Donghae’s side even though Donghae had insisted that he help his pack members fight.

 

Kyuhyun’s response was, _“I told you I will never leave you. Do you honestly expect me to leave your side when we have that bastard’s pack roaming our home?”_

 

They were currently sitting on the bed. Kyuhyun was basically shielding Donghae with his body, his hands were clasped tightly over Donghae’s ears, and he was pressing light reassuring kisses across his forehead.

 

“ _We can’t hide in here forever. He’ll come sooner or later,”_ Donghae whimpers through their bond.

 

 _“If he comes, we’ll fight. I’m not letting him have you, Hae. I promise.”_  Kyuhyun presses a firm kiss against his lips and Donghae eagerly accepts Kyuhyun’s comfort.

 

They both jumped at the loud bang that shook their bedroom door.

 

Kyuhyun pushes Donghae flat onto the bed and hovers over him, little warning growls slipping through his teeth as the person on the other side of the doors delivered another bang.

 

Donghae grabs Kyuhyun’s hand that was resting on his shoulder and holds him still when the door finally gives way.

 

Kyuhyun was shaking as waves of fury hit him and Donghae tries to find that little thing inside of him that would help him calm down the situation.

 

His search, unfortunately, spluttered to a halt when he caught sight of the male who had slipped through their broken door.

 

“Aiden,” he whimpers fearfully, and despite Kyuhyun being between him and the other werewolf, he slowly edged further away, cowering into the headboard.

 

Aiden’s eyes were only on him, and he swallowed at the look in the male’s eyes. “Found you,” he sings in a soothing way that has Donghae reacting almost violently as his memories assault him.

 

“I don’t think so, asshole,” Kyuhyun growls and slips off the bed, his whole body tense and ready to fight.

 

Aiden rolls his eyes at Kyuhyun, too confident. “This doesn’t concern you pup, so back down,” he orders, and Donghae could feel Kyuhyun’s emotion slipping through their bond.

 

His mate’s anger and ferocious desire to protect him helped him clear the memories from his mind. Donghae forced his body to uncurl from its position, drawing Aiden’s attention back to him.

 

Not that Kyuhyun let him look at him for long. “Don’t you dare put your filthy eyes on my mate,” he threatens and takes a step towards Aiden, who only reacts to the title that Kyuhyun used rather than the approach.

 

“Mate?” he repeats, and Donghae flinches at the look Aiden sends his way. “You little slut,” he spits.

 

He knew what Aiden was like, and he was baiting Kyuhyun by attacking Donghae verbally.

 

Donghae reacts too slowly to Kyuhyun charging at Aiden.

 

By Kyuhyun attacking him, he had played right into his hands.

 

Donghae watched, frozen, as his mate smacks into Aiden with so much aggression that it makes him think back to when he was a child to when he saw similar displays of aggression.

 

“ _Run!”_ Kyuhyun’s voice orders him through their bond, and Donghae gasps as Aiden slams Kyuhyun into his dresser, the wood splintering at their combined weight, but it still held as they snarled and swapped crippling punches to one another.

 

 _“I’m not leaving you!”_ Donghae cries through the bond as he slips off the bed, his eyes locked on the back of Aiden’s head, his fists clenched hard.

 

“ _No!”_ Kyuhyun panics when he spies what he was doing. _“Donghae, I can’t hold him for much longer. He’ll get sick of me and then he’ll come after you. Find Kangin, he’ll protect you until I can shift.”_

 

Donghae muffles the cry that wants to escape when Kyuhyun cries out in pain as Aiden starts to overpower him.

 

 _“Please, Hae. I can’t lose you,”_ Kyuhyun begs, and Donghae forces his feet to sneak past his mate and Aiden.

 

His vision blurs as he listens to the sound of Kyuhyun’s bones breaking and Aiden’s low words that he couldn’t make out.

 

His heart felt like it was being torn into shreds as he sneaks further away.

 

“Where did he-?” Aiden suddenly demands and Donghae bolts away from the bedroom as Kyuhyun’s distracting yell echoes through his mind and house.

 

 _“Please, Kyuhyun, don’t leave me,”_ he sobs as he feels and hears Aiden taking his fury out on Kyuhyun.

 

 

 

Kyuhyun’s head was smashed off his desk as he struggles to fight the hands that were controlling his body.

 

He had underestimated how strong Aiden was. He was able to hold his own for a while, but Aiden seemed to have an unlimited supply of aggression.

 

He grunts in pain and exertion as he forces his body to rip from Aiden’s tight grip.

 

That was the only thing working for him, his smaller build. He was able to slip from Aiden’s grip, and no matter how many times he had done it, Aiden was still livid when he managed to escape his hold.

 

Kyuhyun managed to hobble away, trying to summon up his strength to defend himself, but he was caught yet again, and this time, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to slip away.

 

He sought out his mate through their bond and sighed in relief when he saw where Donghae was.

 

His face was smacked to the side, his body limply following, and he slumped to his hands and knees.

 

His vision was leaving him, and the shooting pain in the side of his head wasn’t making his focus any better.

 

“I should kill you now, but my brother wants the pleasure of stripping your skin from your body as punishment for touching what is ours,” Aiden snarls as he smacks his foot into Kyuhyun’s chin.

 

Kyuhyun feels sick from the brutal kick, his jaw cracking, but he refuses to cry out, he wasn’t giving the bastard the sick pleasure of hearing his pain.

 

He also didn’t miss Aiden’s little slip of information.

 

“So Dongwon is your brother,” he pants out, face aching, and smirks when he hears Aiden’s noticeably sharp intake.

 

Aiden’s foot went to smack into him again but Kyuhyun grabbed it and viciously twisted it until he felt the joint pop out of place.

 

Before Aiden went to the floor, he twisted his body and booted Kyuhyun in the temple.

 

Darkness welcomed him.

 

 

 

“ _Kyuhyun?”_ Donghae anxiously calls again through their bond.

 

He had felt Kyuhyun’s presence slip away from him and he was repeatedly calling for his mate.

 

His heart was panicking because he wasn’t able to gain a response from his mate, he was already crying silently as he desperately tried to get into contact with Kyuhyun or his wolf.

 

 _They can’t be dead. We would know,_ his wolf tries to reassure him, but he could hear the hint of doubt in the words.

 

Donghae slips silently across the front yard; he could hear the sounds of fighting coming from the back.  

_We shouldn’t have left him with Aiden. We both know what he’s like._

His wolf’s answer goes unnoticed because he hears the slamming of the front door behind him.

 

Donghae spins to Aiden awkwardly running after him, and he instantly shoots off into the forest.

 

His heart was racing from fear as he easily slips through the forests obstacles, relieved to hear that Aiden was struggling behind him.

 

Though, it didn’t stay that way for long.

 

Donghae’s ankle twisted on a rock and he swung his arms out to gain his balance. Once he recovered, he tries to resume running, but his ankle cries out in pain with every step he takes.

 

He tries to do an awkward limp/jog, but it wouldn’t do him any good.

 

Aiden chuckles from behind him, his pace no longer urgent any more as he calmly power-walks, closing the rapidly short distance between him and Donghae.

 

“You can’t even run away without screwing that up, can you?” he mocks.

 

Donghae screws his eyes shut and breathes through the pain and forces his legs to sprint.

 

He yelps when his ankle gives out all together and he smacks down onto the forest floor.

 

His whole body began to shake from pain and fear as Aiden steps closer to him and begins to circle him.

 

Donghae keeps his head low; eyes clenched shut as he tries to search for that ‘thing’ inside him once again.

 

“Look at me,” Aiden orders, and Donghae fights with his submission that wanted to do as he was ordered to.

 

Aiden growls at his disobedience. “I said, _look at me_.”

 

Donghae shakes his head. “No,” he weakly argues, and jumps when Aiden’s foot slams down near where his hand was digging into the forest floor.

 

He tenses when he feels Aiden’s presence shift to hover over his crouched form.

 

“I see you’ve grown some balls while you’ve been running free for all of these years,” Aiden comments, and Donghae swallows at the anger lacing the male’s words.

 

Donghae violently shakes when Aiden grabs the back of his hair and yanks his face up.

 

He refuses to open his eyes to meet the Aiden’s dark ones, and he yelps quietly when Aiden tightens his grip on his scalp.

 

“You never won then, Donghae, you won’t win now.” Aiden breathes into his face, and Donghae scrunches his eyes tighter, willing himself not to give into his fear.

 

But he lost that fight when he heard Aiden’s next words.

 

“It’s time for me to claim you.”

 

 

 

Eunhyuk could hear Siwon fighting the men who had started to fight him in the first place.

 

Eunhyuk swears and smashes his skull into the male’s nose before quickly punching the newly broken nose.

 

The male cries out in pain and tries to get away, but Eunhyuk has had enough. He keeps punching until he was forced to climb on top of the cowering male so that he could still reach him.

 

“Hyuk, stop!” Siwon shouts at him and he feels his mate slip his arms around his waist and tugs him off the unconscious male.

 

Eunhyuk stares at what he’s done and he feels disgusted with himself.

 

“Aiden,” Siwon reminds him of his objective, and Eunhyuk knew he should’ve moved to help his twin, but his eyes were glued to the male’s bloody excuse of a face.

 

“I’m a monster,” he begins to sob, and Siwon gathers him into his arms.

 

“No, you’re not.” Siwon was nearly in tears himself; the whole situation was starting to take its toll on the both of them.

 

“Aiden.”

 

They both hear an animalistic growl and they spin to see Dongwon racing off into the forest.

 

Without even thinking, both he and Siwon race to follow.

 

 

 

Kangin threw Dongwon’s second in command onto the floor, and notices that Dongwon was running into his forest.

 

Kangin turns to follow him, but he was stopped by the second in command.

 

“Wait!” the male pleads, and Kangin freezes at the desperation in the male’s voice.

 

He watches as the male drags himself up off the ground and holds his hands up. “Please, I don’t want to fight you,” the male whispers, and Kangin’ swept into confusion and suspicion.

 

“Why the sudden change?” he demands, and he’s even more shocked to see the male’s shoulders slump forwards and his head to bow slightly.

 

The display of submission from the male had Kangin’s mind scattered with bewilderment.

 

“I need your help,” he whispers, and Kangin stares at the male.

 

Was he to follow his gut and let the man explain, or ignore the male’s desperate wishes and run after Dongwon who was no doubt after Kyuhyun and Donghae?

 

He glances over his shoulder to look at the forest, and then to look at his pack.

 

Zhou Mi and Heechul had shifted, which had lessoned their chances of losing, but so had some of the other pack.

 

Though, from the looks of it, the wrath of having your mate threatened and hurt had aided his pack into destroying the majority of the enemy pack.

 

 He catches sight of Leeteuk protecting Hankyung and Victoria and smiles proudly at the sight of his mate winning against his opponent.

 

Satisfied, Kangin sighs and turns his attention back to the male that was the Lee siblings’ father.

 

The male looked like he had aged considerably in the last few seconds.

 

“I’m listening,” he tells the male, and as he listens to the male’s rushed explanation, he turns to look at Sungmin who was now kneeling beside Hankyung.

 

“So, will you help?” the male hesitantly asks silence reigns between them.

 

 “Betray me, and I’ll kill you,” is all he says as he heads towards where Dongwon had disappeared to with the male following silently behind him.

 

 

 

Donghae is screaming with terror as he fights to get Aiden off him.

 

Aiden pins his wrists harder to the cold, damp floor by using only one hand, his other hand had already ripped Donghae’s top open and was now trying to drag his bottoms off his body.

 

Donghae was clamping his thighs as tight as he could whilst wriggling to prevent Aiden from getting a decent enough grip to unclothe him.

 

Aiden was snarling so loud that Donghae was starting to feel drained as he fought his submission, and from being raped.

 

“D-don’t,” he whimpers uselessly and gasps in surprise when Aiden backhands across the face him with his hand.

 

“Shut up,” Aiden snarls, his tone maddened.

 

Donghae loses control of his submission and he cries out in distress when Aiden wretches his pants off him and starts to grope his thighs.

 

His mind shuts down and his whole body goes limp.

 

He was trapped inside of his body.

 

All he could do was cry and beg quietly as Aiden’s snarling turned into heavy panting.

 

Through his blurred vision, Aiden’s face appeared and Donghae shook his head weakly as it came closer and closer to him.

 

“No...” he whimpers and clamps his lips together just as Aiden’s rough lips descended onto his.

 

_“Kyu, I’m so sorry.”_

 

 

Dongwon’s blood was boiling as Donghae’s screams echo around him.

 

He stalks towards Aiden, who had Donghae pinned and half unclothed to the ground, and was currently eating the male’s face.

 

He lets a growl slip through his tightly clenched teeth, and that was the only warning Aiden got as Dongwon yanked the male harshly backwards.

 

He flings the male to the nearest tree and bore down on him. “I said to retrieve him, not mate with him!” he roars, furious, and backhands him with a sharp crack.

 

He turns his back on the disobeying male and goes towards a shaking Donghae who was tightly curled into a ball.

 

“Donghae?” he gently calls, and frowns at the fear pouring from the male at it.

 

He moves closer. “Stop shaking,” he demands, and sighs with annoyance when Donghae just shakes harder. “Donghae, I said to stop shaking, for god sake, he’s nowhere near you,” he hisses out as he leans down to grab the male’s arm.

 

His fingers didn’t even brush the male’s raised skin because, from out of nowhere, he was tackled from the side.

 

He grunts at the unexpected attack and freezes when he sees who had tackled him.

 

“Siwon?” he gasps in shock.

 

His son pins him, and he was proud that his son was using what he had taught him. He watched, intrigued, as Eunhyuk cradles Donghae to himself and tries to calm his twin down.

 

He hears a shuffle behind him and sighs when he felt his son being yanked off him by Aiden.

 

He slowly sits up and chuckles at the way Eunhyuk was glaring at him whilst shielding Donghae away from him. “We both know that I can overpower you, so stop wasting your energy.” He says as he begins to stand up.

 

He tuts at his son, who was currently on his knees and was having his face pushed into the forest floor with his hands pinned at a painful angle at his back.

 

Aiden’s face was blank, but his eyes weren’t on Siwon or himself, but on Donghae.

 

Dongwon narrows his eyes at the male. “He’s mine, remember?”

 

“He’s not yours!” Eunhyuk snaps, and Dongwon raises his finger at the male.

 

“Second warning,” he cautions the twin.

 

“Don’t you dare threaten him,” snarls Siwon as he tries to wrestle free, and Dongwon rolls his eyes at his son’s pointless fighting.

 

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” he sighs to himself.

 

Just then, a murderous snarling comes and joins them.

 

 

 

 _“Hae?!”_ came Kyuhyun’s anxious voice through their bond, and Donghae jolts in shock and relief at the sound of his mate.

 

He jumps a second time when he hears the sound of Kyuhyun barrelling towards them, snarling and growling at the top of his lungs.

 

He looks in time to see the black form emerge from the trees and leap so that it lands directly in front of him.

 

Kyuhyun crouches down low, and bares his teeth at Dongwon, who was staring at his mate in surprise.

 

“I thought I told you to kill him?” Dongwon questions Aiden, who glowers from behind Dongwon.

 

“You told me my main job was to get Donghae. I did,” he clarifies.

 

 _“I can smell him all over you,”_ Kyuhyun seethes, and Donghae reaches out his hand to touch the black fur on his hind legs.

 

 _“He didn’t get the chance to do anything. Dongwon stopped him,”_ Donghae tries to soothe him, but he couldn’t stop the memory from slipping through.

 

Kyuhyun tenses to dive forward when he saw what Aiden had just been doing and Donghae has to grip a handful of fur to stop him.

 

 _“He will die, Donghae. I will kill him,”_ Kyuhyun promises.

 

 

 

 


	35. Chapter 35

 

 

 

 

“Remember what I said, Kangin,” the male says softly from beside him as they drew closer to where the commotion was coming from.

 

Kangin nods in a silent reply as they both simultaneously step out into the scene.

 

Immediately he saw Kyuhyun was in his wolf form and he felt his skin erupt with goose bumps at the promise of revenge glinting in his golden eyes. Donghae was running his hand through the black fur, trying to calm his mate, and he was being held by Eunhyuk, who was staring at his own mate.

 

Kangin frowned at the sight of the male who had Siwon pinned. There was something familiar about him, he just couldn’t figure out what it was.

 

Dongwon noticed their presence and Kangin saw the scrutiny in his face when he glanced at his second in command. 

 

“Jinyoung, this is a surprise,” he comments lowly, and Jinyoung his second, shakes his head.

 

“Come on, Dongwon. You seriously didn’t expect this to happen?” he asks sarcastically, and Kangin begins his task whilst Jinyoung begins his own.

 

Without drawing anyone’s attention, he shifts closer to where Eunhyuk was, all the while timing his movements with Jinyoung attracting the attention.

 

“Actually, I thought you would’ve done this years ago,” Dongwon admits.

 

“I should’ve done it when you forced us to abandon Sungmin,” Jinyoung growls and Eunhyuk and Donghae both had mirrored reactions at that shocking little revelation. “I should’ve done this when you went after my sons, when you targeted Donghae and began to obsess over him. I should’ve killed you and your brother when you both attempted to claim my son.”

 

Except from Kangin, Dongwon, and Aiden, everybody’s faces dropped with shock.

 

“Brother?” Siwon repeats in shock as he stares expectantly at his father.

 

Dongwon sigh heavily and narrows his eyes in irritation at Jinyoung. “There you go, Siwon. You used to complain when you were little about not having an uncle or an aunt. How does it feel to hear that you, have in fact, have one?” he asks Siwon dryly, and Siwon glowers at the tone his father had used.

 

“Who?” Siwon grits out, and Dongwon laughs lightly while raising a hand in the direction Siwon and Aiden were in.

 

“Aiden, why don’t you say hello to your nephew,” Dongwon motions with his hand and Siwon gasps in pain when Aiden dislocates his right shoulder.

 

“Hello, my dear nephew,” Aiden murmurs to him, smirking.

 

Dongwon narrows his eyes at his sibling. “Was that necessary?” he demands as Siwon take deep, pained breaths.

 

“Why don’t you just get this over with so I can go home?” Aiden responds, bored, and with a clenched fist, he slams it against the back of Siwon’s head.

 

Without any flicker of emotion, he shoves Siwon’s unconscious form away from him.

 

Dongwon sighs tiredly at his brother’s response. “Fine, but do not touch him,” he growls in warning, and Aiden rolls his eyes before turning and disappearing into the forest behind him.

 

He turns his attention back to Jinyoung and squares his shoulders. “I would give you the option of backing out now, but I don’t think you’d take it,” and as he spoke, Jinyoung’s pupils widened, his eyes turning black.

 

“You’re right. I wouldn’t take it.” Jinyoung’s voice was spilt as he and his wolf growled their words.

 

Dongwon braces his feet and lets his wolf’s presence slip close enough to the surface.

 

“It’s sad that your sons will witness your death,” his wolf growls, and at the same time, he and Jinyoung charge at each other.

 

 

 

Kangin lunges for Eunhyuk and Donghae and backs them out of harm’s way just as Dongwon and Jinyoung crashed together.

 

He glances over his shoulder at Siwon’s limp body, and before he even had to voice it, Kyuhyun was already on his way, circling the outer trees to get to where Siwon lay.

 

 

Kyuhyun gripped Siwon’s shirt gently with his teeth and tugged slowly back the way he came.

 

Before Kangin could stop him, Eunhyuk slipped from his grip and raced to meet Kyuhyun to help, and Kangin watches the twin pick up the limp body and carries it back with Kyuhyun protecting him.

 

“See if you can wake him,” he orders gently when they join him at the side.

 

He hears a bone break and whips his head to see Jinyoung clutching his side.

 

“Kyuhyun, stay here and protect them,” he orders as he rises to his feet, but freezes when he sees a grey wolf emerge from the direction that Aiden had disappeared in.

 

“Kyu...wait,” he hears Donghae whisper shakily, and Kangin glances to see that Kyuhyun’s eyes were fixed on the other wolf.

 

 _“Get them out of here, Kangin. This is going to get ugly really quick,”_ he hears Kyuhyun’s faint voice through the bond he had with all of his pack members.

 

 _“Kyuhyun, you’re injured, let me fight him,”_  Kangin argues, but when he saw the plea in Kyuhyun’s eyes, the need to insure this male would never harm his mate again, he backs down and lets the black wolf slink past him.

 

 _“Keep him safe, yeah?”_ he hears Kyuhyun’s words, and he snarls at the little sliver of finality in them.

 

 _“Cho Kyuhyun, you will kill that wolf and you will return to look after your mate,”_ he orders firmly, and feels his breathing catch when he hears Kyuhyun’s answer.

 

_“If worse comes to worse, I want to let you know that I am honoured to be a part of your pack.”_

Kangin doesn’t get the chance to reply, because as soon as Kyuhyun whispers those words, he runs and launches himself at Aiden who was already running for him.

 

 

 

Donghae couldn’t escape.

 

His mind, ears, eyes, smell, and taste were tinged with the smell of blood from the two fights.

 

Beside him, Eunhyuk was rousing Siwon from unconsciousness with love filled whispers and promises, and Donghae cradled his head as desperately tried to block the sounds of Kyuhyun fighting with Aiden.

 

“Donghae?” Kangin’s soft voice comes and he feels the male’s hand on his quivering shoulder.

 

“It’s not safe; I need to get you three to safety.” Donghae resists the male’s gently tug and instead buries his head deeper into his hands, his face scrunched up in concentration.

 

He listened to his father fighting with Dongwon, their grunts of pain, growls and snarls of animalistic rage playing like a song. Joining the song was the sounds of Kyuhyun fighting for him, for them, and as Siwon and Eunhyuk’s argument with Kangin, who was determined to get them to safety, slipped in to join the song.

 

Everyone around him was fighting something, everyone except from him.

 

_I’m tired of being like this. Why should my loved ones fight to protect me when I can’t even do it for them in return? For all of our life, we’ve been protected. We’ve never once fought back because of our submissive nature, but here are our loved ones that are in danger, and we’re sitting here being useless._

_I’m tired of being weak,_ Donghae’s inner monologue holds the voice of his wolf as well, and as they both reached the end of their decision, he cries out as a sharp pain bursts through his mind.

 

Everything around him goes silent.

 

He pants through the pain that was lighting up every nerve in his body and he could feel droplets of sweat run down his neck, but when he forces himself to look up, to his horror, the two wolves, his father, and Dongwon are on the floor. 

 

He calms down when he sees that they aren’t dead, and when he turns to question what had happened, he saw that Siwon and Eunhyuk were asleep on the floor with Kangin on his knees, struggling to keep his eyes open.

 

“Kangin?” he chokes out in confusion and rushes to help the male, but Kangin shake his head rapidly when he moves towards him.

 

“Too strong,” he groans out, and Donghae nearly yells out in frustration and confusion.

 

“What’s too strong?!” he demands as he gets to his feet.

 

“You are,” Dongwon’s strained voice came, and Donghae slowly turns to face the male who was fighting to sit up.

 

“What?” he whispers as he watches Dongwon’s movements get stronger.

 

Dongwon sighs in relief when he was able to sit up properly and turns his black eyes to Donghae. “What can you remember from the night you ran away?” he groans.

 

Donghae frowns at the question. “I don’t want to remember,” he whispers.

 

“The night I attempted to claim you, you managed to escape from me. Now, if you remember, I had your hands tied, didn’t I? And that the more you struggled, the tighter they got, remember?” he pushes and Donghae remains unwilling to show the male he remembers.

 

“I’ll take your silence as a yes. The reason you escaped me that night was because of two things. First, your wolf took control of you without shifting, and by your wolf’s strength you were able to rip free from your bonds. The second, and the reason why everyone is the way they are, is because you are a different kind of wolf.”

 

Victoria’s words flooded back to his mind. _“You can limit the affect it has on others, but you have to learn how to be aware of your gift first. It’s nothing to be afraid of, Donghae; it’s just a part of you and your wolf that wishes for peace.”_

 

“The gift,” Donghae breathes out in shock, and jolts at the little chuckle Dongwon gives.

 

“Gift? More like a stage of puberty,” he laughs. “You started showing signs when you were a baby, though you or your brothers won’t remember. Eunhyuk was crying in the crib beside you and your distress of not being able to help your twin triggered the first sign of what kind of wolf that you would grow to be.”

 

Dongwon smiles at the confusion on Donghae’s face. “Your power was enough to calm Eunhyuk back to sleep, but also it caused your mother to pass out whilst coming up the stairs to see to him.”

 

“You didn’t show any more signs after that until the night I tried to claim you,” he reveals. “Honestly, I forgot about your little power, even your parents had. As the years went by, we actually expected your power to emerge fully at your first shift, but it didn’t, and so we thought that we may be wrong.” Dongwon pauses to let a proud smile slip onto his face. “You proved otherwise when your power burst from you and you knocked me out.”

 

Donghae admits the memory of him escaping Dongwon’s room was a little hazy, he just remembers smacking into Eunhyuk as he raced to escape the headquarters; Eunhyuk had came for him once he had heard where he was.

 

“So what am I?” he asks softly, and wonders if Dongwon will actually tell him.

 

He’s shocked at what Dongwon tells him.

 

“You’re considered a freak in our world, just like how Sungmin and Henry are considered to be freaks,” Dongwon spits out. “Your genetics are tangled and have gone awry somewhere. You are either broken, like your brother and my step son, or you’re like how you are now, incredibly submissive and weak, and yet hold a power that can control wolves. You’re contradictory by nature. You’re a wolf that can control people, not by aggression and dominance, but by soothing and submitting,” Dongwon grunts as he moves to stand, and Donghae tenses as the male moves.

 

“How come you can move but the others can’t?” he demands tightly.

 

“Because I’m an alpha, and we alphas don’t bow down to anyone.”

 

Donghae glances behind him to see that Kangin was struggling to stand, and jumps at the sound of Dongwon’s unsteady movement.

 

“Since you’ve put everyone to sleep, you’ve left yourself unprotected. It’s a shame; your father was dead set on killing me himself.” Dongwon laughs and kicks the leg of his unconscious father.

 

“How must it feel to know that your own children hate you because of the decisions you were forced to make?” The male taunts his father’s sleeping body. “How must it feel to know that instead of killing the person who is responsible for the destruction of his family, his own son has prevented him from doing so, and because of that, he’s lost him forever?”

 

Donghae starts to shake at the male’s words and stumbles over his twin’s body as he moves away from the approaching Dongwon.

 

He glances at Kangin, and Dongwon laughs. “He can’t help you, little Hae. He isn’t used to the feeling of his body being forced to sleep.”

 

And just as Dongwon says that, Kangin collapses to the forest floor.

 

Donghae slowly meets Dongwon’s gleaming eyes and swallows at the predatory gaze staring at him.

 

“Just give up,” Dongwon demands, and Donghae closes his eyes at the feeling of the male’s dominance trying to trap him.

 

He tilts his head in confusion when he didn’t feel it affect him properly.

 

“Why?” he mutters without thinking, and as Dongwon’s presence comes closer, the harder the male pushes to control him.

 

“Why?” Dongwon echoes, and Donghae nods. “Because you belong with me, that’s why,” Dongwon growls in anger, and then frustration when he realises Donghae isn’t showing any sign of submitting to him.

 

“Why do you think I belong to you?” Donghae asks him calmly, his eyes still shut on Dongwon and his surroundings.

 

Dongwon groans in annoyance. “What is this, twenty questions?” he snaps, and Donghae hears the male’s approach stop.

 

“Why do you think I belong to you?” Donghae asks again, and feels his lips pull slightly in amusement when Dongwon mutters a curse.

 

 _This is...weird,_ Donghae thinks to himself, almost giddy as his whole body seems completely at ease to the anger and dominance that was trying to scare him.

 

His heart rate was normal; it wasn’t tripping over itself in fear at being so close to the male who had attempted to rape him from all of those years ago.

 

Where did his fear go?

 

_Look at him, Donghae._

Donghae follows his wolf’s request and opens his eyes to gaze at the elder.

 

_Now, let’s ask him again._

“Answer my question, why do you think I belong to you?” As Donghae speaks, a strange warmth tickles through and over his skin, and he winces at the niggling of pain that hits his temples.

 

He’ shocked at what he sees happen in front of him.

 

Dongwon stumbles backwards and almost drops to the floor as he was hit by an unknown force.

 

Dongwon gasps as he struggles against whatever force was attacking him, and he stares at Donghae with an expression he’s never seen in the male’s eyes before.

 

It was fear.

 

 

 

“Sungmin!”

 

Sungmin whirled around at the call of his name and saw Shindong racing towards him with Yesung and a few of their friends following behind.

 

“Where’s Kangin?” Yesung demands when he’s close enough.

 

“He’s somewhere in the forest, he followed Dongwon there but I don’t know why, I’m about to head in there to find out myself,” he explains as he helps Leeteuk move Hankyung from the backyard and into the house.

 

“Donghae was in trouble, which drew Dongwon’s attention,” Leeteuk explains. “I don’t know how, but it did. Kangin was fighting with Dongwon’s second in command and when they noticed that Dongwon had vanished, they raced to follow.” Leeteuk fills in the blanks as they move through the kitchen and towards the sitting room, and Sungmin has to scramble to reclaim his hold on the injured male.

 

“Why didn’t you mention this when we saw him leave?!” he demands as they settle Hankyung in the sitting room.

 

Heechul appears a second later with bowl of water and towels so that he could clean the blood from his mate. Sungmin and Leeteuk back silently out of the room, leaving the two males alone, and usher Shindong and Yesung back out into the backyard.

 

Just as they step over the threshold, Shindong freezes.

 

“Did you feel that?” he enquires softly, confused, and the three males shake their heads.

 

Sungmin notices that Henry and Zhou Mi were already cleaning up the dead bodies of Dongwon’s pack while Victoria stood determinedly next to the three tied males who had surrendered.

 

He frowns when he fails to see Eunhyuk and Siwon, and tries to recall when he had last seen them.

 

He jumps in surprise when Leeteuk gasps sharply before falling onto his knees, his fists clenched tightly as his forehead scrunches up in concentration.

 

“Hyung!” Yesung and Sungmin cry at the same time whilst dropping onto their knees to comfort the suddenly distressed male.

 

“You felt it, didn’t you?” Shindong demands and Sungmin snaps his narrowed eyes up at the male.

 

“What are you talking about?” he snaps.

 

“Why didn’t anyone tell me that you have a hybrid werewolf in your pack?” Shindong demands instead of answering Sungmin’s question.

 

Sungmin suddenly feels very nervous at the male’s question.

 

“Sungmin, come with me, I’ll need your help. Yesung make sure Leeteuk stays awake and tell him to stay in contact with Kangin,” Shindong orders before yanking a confused Sungmin from off the floor, and drags him, running towards the forest.

 

“What the hell is going on?!” he vents out as he follows the male.

 

“You only have two submissive wolves in your pack, right?” Shindong clarifies, and at Sungmin’s irritated, “yes’, he begins to explain.

 

“Well it’s not Victoria, so it has to be Donghae, your brother,” Shindong pants as they run. “You must have seen him do something that you wouldn’t think he would be capable to do because of his submissive personality, right?” He questions and glances behind him to see Sungmin’s slow nod.

 

“Donghae is different,” Shindong explains slowly, not slowing down as they run. “He’s not your regular submitter; he’s a comforter, a protector when situations get out of hand. He can manipulate his submission into others, causing them to gain control, or if he desires, he can put them to sleep. That is dangerous,” Shindong stresses those words. “If he forces his submission and puts someone to sleep, there is a high risk of them not waking up unless someone with enough dominance can order them to awaken.”

 

Sungmin stumbles as he remembers what happened with Leeteuk. “Kangin...” he whispers fearfully, and Shindong nods.

 

“He’s the only one here with enough dominance that can undo Donghae’s mistake.”

 

“But....Donghae doesn’t know about this!” Sungmin defends his sibling and they both came to a stop at the comforting feeling of warmth tickling over their skin.

 

“Is that-?” Sungmin whispers, and Shindong cuts him off with a quick nod.

 

“Donghae might fight us if he thinks we’re going to harm him, it’ll be his instinct to protect himself and whoever is close to him,” Shindong warns, and Sungmin nods as he tries to not focus on his sibling’s power.

 

“What are you going to do?” he questions quietly as they creep closer to the area.

 

“By the feeling that I’m getting, I think he’s just shifted into his power. He’s late in doing so, so it has affected him differently,” Shindong explains and sighs sadly, “I’ll have to physically knock him out and hold him myself.”  
  
Sungmin splutters at that. “You’re just like Hae?” he breathes and Shindong smiles slightly at him.

 

“Never mind about me, let’s go help your brother.”

 

 

 

Donghae didn’t know what to feel at seeing the fear in those eyes.

 

Should he be joyous that he has inflicted fear into the person that he and his twin have feared for the majority of their lives?

 

Shouldn’t he feel disgusted at what this power was making him do?

 

“Stop pushing,” Dongwon slightly pleads as he diverts his eyes away from Donghae’s shocked ones.

 

The sign of submission nearly has Donghae’s mind blown, but he pushes on. “Tell me why you and Aiden have taken a liking to me.”

 

“Why do you think?” Dongwon snaps, and Donghae feels a spark of irritation light up inside of him.

 

“Just answer my question, Dongwon,” the words came, not from Donghae, but his wolf.

 

Donghae doesn’t bother fighting his wolf back; he slips back by himself, satisfied at the heightened pressure of whatever force he was using on Dongwon.

 

“If I claimed you, then my pack would be the most powerful pack in Korea,” Dongwon unwilling reveals as his body slips closer to the floor.

 

“You’re disgusting,” Donghae’s wolf spits, and they push Dongwon harder to the ground.

 

Dongwon grunts in pain at the heavy force and glance up to look at Donghae. “You think I’m disgusting?” he snarls. “Take a look at yourself, Donghae, you cower at control, and yet here you are, abusing your power in sake of your emotions.” Dongwon spits at him, and Donghae flinches at his words.

 

“I’m not abusing it,” he denies softly, and Dongwon barks out a loud laugh.

 

“It’s alright, Donghae. As soon as your power drains you, I’ll show you what abuse is like,” he threatens, and Donghae couldn’t control the burst of energy that left him at the sound of Dongwon’s threat.

 

Dongwon cries out in pain, and Donghae feels his knees wobbled slightly, his head beginning to hurt.

 

“Hae!” he jolts at the sound of Sungmin’s voice and he catches sight of his brother and Shindong stepping onto the scene.

 

“Min, you shouldn’t be here.” He was alarmed at hearing how weak his voice was now.

 

Shindong began walking slowly towards him whilst his brother stayed at the side.

 

He burned with shame as Sungmin looked at the unconscious bodies; he didn’t like the look that flickered quickly through his brother’s face.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his guilt at what he has done now beginning to eat at him.

 

“It’s okay, Donghae, just focus on me for now, yeah?” came Shindong’s calm and soothing voice, and Donghae couldn’t help but focus on the approaching male.

 

As the male got closer, he felt something touch him.

 

He glances down at his hand and saw nothing there, so he glances up in confusion.

 

He was sure something hot had just touched him.

 

“Donghae, focus on me,” Shindong coaxes softly, and Donghae didn’t like the idea of doing so.

 

He spins to find Kyuhyun and nearly sobs at what he has done to his poor mate.

 

He shifts a foot towards the direction of Kyuhyun’s limp form, but he pauses as he feels that hot touch on him again, this time it was at his elbow, it felt like someone was holding onto him.

 

“Donghae....” Shindong warns, and Donghae finally focuses on the male.

 

He gasps in shock at what he discovers.

 

Over the years that he had known Shindong, he never really paid any attention to if he was a dominant wolf or a submissive, in fact, he didn’t know much of the male’s werewolf history; he was never close to the male because that was his twin’s department.

 

But to see and recognise that Shindong was just like him, right down to whatever this power was called, it made him gasp in shock.

 

“Shh, yes I have the same ability as you, but I know how to control and use it,” Shindong soothingly explains. “I need you to unravel from your power; you need to let it go so I can help you.”

 

Donghae shakes his head in confusion. “I-I don’t know w-what I’m doing,” he stutters.

 

“Close your eyes and concentrate.” Donghae follows Shindong’s words. “Can you feel where your power is attaching itself to the others? No? It’s okay, calm down and forget what is around you, just listen to the sound of my voice.”

 

Donghae slowly pushes the sounds of Sungmin moving and Dongwon speaking away from him. He empties his mind and focuses on where he senses the power was coming from.

 

Through Shindong’s guidance, he pictures little light blue vines of power connecting him to Dongwon.

 

He must have done it right, because as soon as Shindong tells him to slowly unravel from Dongwon, his imaginary vines start to slip off Dongwon.

 

“Go slow, Donghae,” Shindong warns and he eases up on his pulling.

 

He was so focused on his task that, because of blocking his surroundings out, he misses something important.

 

Something that causes Sungmin’s voice to penetrate through to him, and as it did so, he loses his concentrate, and the vine snaps.

 

All of a sudden, his brother was fighting with Dongwon who was now on his feet, free from his control, but Donghae was falling, he couldn’t even vocalise the pained grunt from him falling onto his knees.

 

He weakly braces his hands on the floor and desperately tries to look up at the sounds of Sungmin fighting.

 

“Donghae, stay awake,” Shindong urgently begs as the male grasps his shoulders that were about to hit the floor.

 

“So...tired...” he whispers as his body begins to grow limp from his legs upwards.

 

“It’s because you lost control of the retrieval, you’re even weaker now because your submission as been thrown back at you instead of you accepting it slowly back inside of you,” Shindong explains in an attempt to keep him awake, but Donghae was struggling.

 

His eyelids flutter shut.

 

They don’t open again.

 

 

 

Sungmin could hear what Shindong was saying to his brother, but he didn’t pay much attention to it, he couldn’t help but feel afraid at seeing the unconscious bodies, he was even more afraid when he saw that Kangin was unconscious as well.

 

He prayed that Leeteuk was still in some sort of contact with him; otherwise, the only other person who could awaken everyone is Dongwon.

 

Sungmin trains his eyes on the kneeling male and starts to move closer to him.

 

Dongwon glances at his approach and scoffs, “here comes the long lost brother to save the day.”

 

“Here is the big bad wolf on his hands and knees,” Sungmin retorts. “Not so scary now are you? But then again, you never did scare me.”

 

Dongwon snarls at him. “I didn’t scare you, but I took everything from you.”

 

Sungmin jerks at the brutal honesty in the male’s voice. He stares hard at the male, searching for any signs of him just trying to provoke him.

 

His face and heart fall when he sees nothing but honesty and satisfaction.

 

“What...” he quietly demands, and watches as Dongwon slowly moves his hands off the floor.

 

Dongwon tilts his head slightly, a light smirk playing at his lips. “I took your whole family from you.” He says it like he was discussing the weather and not the destruction of Sungmin’s life. “I forced your parents to have another child because of your broken genes, and I then forced them to take the twins and come live in pack territory, but to leave you behind.”

 

Dongwon’s eyes sparkle with pleasure as Sungmin struggles to catch his breath at hearing the news.

 

His parents didn’t just abandon him because they were embarrassed, they were forced to. He had lost his beloved siblings, got put into an orphanage because of him, he _grieved_ for so many years, because of this sick bastard.

 

Sungmin was livid.

 

“You sick fuck!” He screams loudly as he storms towards the slowly rising male.

 

Just then, Donghae collapses to the ground with Shindong rushing after him.

 

Sungmin steps to go for his little brother, but Dongwon’s words root him still.

 

“Why don’t you show to me that I made a mistake all of those years ago?” The male taunts. “Prove to me that the only reason why you lost in those fights that I sent for you was because of your lack of fighting knowledge.” Dongwon begins to circle him, and Sungmin follows his every movement. “Prove to me that you’re not a helpless excuse of a werewolf.”

 

Sungmin plants his feet and bring his fists up. “The only thing I’m going to prove is that you don’t fuck with my siblings.”

 

 

 

_“Wake up.”_

_“Don’t ignore your mate, wake up!”_

_“Goddamn it, Kangin, speak to me!”_ Leeteuk’s voice rang somewhere inside his head, but Kangin couldn’t respond to the desperate and angry words.

 

  _“Kangin, please wake up. Dongwon will take away our family, he’ll destroy Kyuhyun.”_  Leeteuk’s pleading voice makes something inside of him shift, and Kangin slowly reaches out to the bond that held him to Leeteuk, and prods it.

 

 _“Kangin?”_   Leeteuk calls questioningly.

 

He sighs in relief when Kangin speaks to him.

 

 _“Donghae accidentally put me to sleep. I’ll explain later, I just need to shake off Donghae’s lull,”_  he explains as he starts to feel his body slowly start to awaken from the enforced sleep.

 

His fingers twitch against the forest floor, and he realises that he was on his side. He slowly opens his eyes and blinks a dozen times before focusing on the scene in front of him.

 

His heart is startled at seeing Shindong holding an unconscious Donghae and was shaking him whist demanding that he wakes up.

 

Kangin jolts in shock at a unexpected, but familiar pained yelp.

 

His eyes located the source of the sound and Kangin, and his now non-drowsy wolf, grew furious at seeing their family member being hurt.

 

Sungmin may have been bleeding from a busted lip, wincing in pain every time he moved his chest to dodge a punch from Dongwon, but he never once let it stop him from delivering his own attacks.

 

Kangin forced his body into a sitting position and panted at the effort that little movement.

 

A whoosh of air and a choked gasp has Kangin scrambling to his feet.

 

He sways unsteadily, but he forces his feet to remain where he had planted them, and he snarls in outrage at seeing Sungmin being held off the ground by his throat, the hand no doubt crushing his windpipe as Dongwon favours his right leg, his left leg at an unnatural angle, and Kangin feels proud at knowing that it was caused by Sungmin’s unique kick.

 

Once delivered to your knee, it shatters the kneecap, and if Sungmin has the chance, he will deliver another brutal kick that snaps your tibia.

 

Kangin silently shuffles forward when Sungmin notices his presence and struggles in Dongwon’s grasp, keeping the male’s attention on him and not on Kangin as he approaches.

 

“So you know how to fight, but because of your pathetic genes, you can’t inflict the pain that you should be causing.” Dongwon emphasizes his words by gripping Sungmin’s throat harder.

 

Sungmin didn’t need to pretend to struggle now; he started to fight to get away from the male.

 

It may not be the way some people like to win a fight, but Kangin was done with the other alpha.

 

Eye’s focused on his target, he slipped behind the male and whispered, “You know how to fight too, but you forgot the biggest rule; never have your back to your enemy,” and with that, Kangin’s hands shoot out and violently wretches the male’s head, the sound of his neck snapping as it echoes into the air.

 

Dongwon’s body drops and Sungmin lands lightly onto his feet whilst coughing as he forces his windpipe to work again.

 

 _“Kangin...”_ came Leeteuk’s soothing call, and Kangin sighs whilst stepping around the fallen body.

 

“Time to wake them up.”

 

 

 

 


	36. Chapter 36

 

 

 

 

Over the next few days, Kangin and his pack worked to fix the damage that Dongwon had caused. Bodies were burnt, and the house was repaired by Kangin and Heechul.

Leeteuk and Jinyoung spoke with the males who had surrendered in the fight, and after a heavy argument between Leeteuk and Jinyoung, it was decided that males could return home.

 

Hankyung was already healing from his wounds, and despite Heechul’s demands that he stays in bed, he helped clean the blood away. Ryeowook and Victoria were fuelling the household and would also order Hankyung to rest and take over the cleaning duties.

 

Zhou Mi, Henry, and Eunhyuk were tormenting Sungmin, who turned out to have a lot more broken ribs than he had thought. Sungmin grumbled at the company, and if he complained long enough, Henry would kick his sibling and pack members out of the room.

 

Sungmin didn’t really mind that happening, it meant that he was alone with Henry, just like how he was now.

 

“You should be nice and offer me a nice treat to help my recovery,” Sungmin teases as Henry idly plays with his hair near the base of his neck.

 

They were in Sungmin’s room, which was now their room, and they were lying on the bed together. Henry had Sungmin lying so that he was in between his legs, and was resting his back against Henry’s chest.

 

Sungmin’s ribs were healing, but Henry was doing what Heechul wanted to do with Hankyung, he was holding him hostage in his own room.

 

“You never did get me my bubble tea,” Henry reminds him, and Sungmin pouts down at the page he was reading.

 

“I never had the chance!” he huffs in defence, and he feels the vibrations of Henry’s laugh through his back.

 

“Seeing as how we’re both still recovering from our encounters with the lovely Dongwon, why don’t we both give each other a nice treat?” Henry suggests, and Sungmin tilts his head up to look at Henry’s face.

 

“Like what?” he questions to the upside down face.

 

“Maybe you’ll think of something after seeing mine,” Henry whispers, and without any warning, he presses his lips against Sungmin’s.

 

Despite the awkward angle, the feeling of finally kissing each other made them both sigh in contentment.

 

Sungmin groaned and pulls away as a shooting pain races up his neck because of the angle.

 

“Ouch,” he moans as he rubs the pain away, but sighs softly when he feels Henry’s lips brush his neck.

 

“Thought of something?” Henry asks softly as he nibbles at a little bit of skin towards the back of his neck, and Sungmin jolts in surprise at the little pricks of pleasure.

 

“I’ve thought of something alright, but I don’t think we should be doing that just yet,” he whispers hoarsely and moves his body so that he was no longer leaning against Henry.

 

He braces his hand on the bed and turns, ignoring the twinge his ribs give, so that he could bring Henry’s face to his.

 

Henry’s eyes drop to his lips. “Are you going to be the responsible one in this relationship?” he teases.

 

Sungmin rolls his eyes at the tease and gently brushes his lips over Henry’s. “So impatient,” he murmurs, teasing male with another brush of his lips.

 

“Min...” Henry breathlessly whines his name, and the sound of it sends shivers up his spine.

 

Sungmin groans as he presses his lips hungrily to Henry’s once again.

 

 

 

Eunhyuk watches his sitting father from the living room doorway. For the past few days, he hasn’t had the chance to speak to his father about what had happened all of those years ago.

 

He craved to know the full story of how Dongwon broke apart their family.

 

“Standing here won’t help you get your questions answered,” Siwon whispers into his ear, making Eunhyuk jump slightly at the male’s silent approach.

 

“Siwon is right, son.” His father’s agreement floats to him, and Eunhyuk feels his cheeks blush at being caught by his father.

 

He silently enters the room, dragging a retreating Siwon with him, and sits on the opposite sofa that was facing his father.

 

His father finishes writing something down on the pad of paper that he had on his knee and places it next to him on the sofa. He stares up at Eunhyuk with guarded eyes, and nods slightly for Eunhyuk to begin, only, now that he was in front of his father, he didn’t have a clue how to start. He hasn’t seen his parents in eight years, and even then he wasn’t close to either of them, he and Donghae were always distance to them, and they were always busy working for Dongwon.

 

He felt Siwon snake their hands together and squeezes in encouragement.

 

He takes a deep breath and forces himself to begin. “Why didn’t you run when Dongwon told you to leave Sungmin behind and move the rest of us to the main territory?” He hesitantly asks as he keeps his eyes on his father’s chest.

 

Jinyoung sighs. “We had already run away from Dongwon once before,” he reveals, surprising Eunhyuk. “Sungmin was actually born in the pack territory, but your mother was adamant for him not to grow up being surrounded by violence. So, we packed up our things and moved away. Dongwon wasn’t pleased, but at the time, he was a different man so he didn’t make a huge deal of us leaving.”

 

Eunhyuk scoffed at that.

 

“Seriously, son, the man you grew up knowing wasn’t always cruel. He turned cruel at the death of his first wife, Siwon’s mother.” Jinyoung sadly looks towards Siwon, who was now staring down at their hands.

 

Eunhyuk soothes his mate through their bond as Siwon was reminded of his grief of losing his mother.

 

“So if you did run away once before, why couldn’t you have done it again?” Eunhyuk questions, and Jinyoung’s face contorts in mixture of anguish and sadness.

 

“Let me start from the beginning, son. It’ll be easier that way.” Eunhyuk nods in understanding and waits for his father to begin.

 

 

 

Jinyoung stares at his son and feels that never ending pain of being failure to his children.

 

Out of the three of them, Eunhyuk resembled him the most. He had the same sharp jaw line as him and they both shared the same muscular build, but he had his mother’s eyes, just like how Donghae and Sungmin did as well.

 

Eunhyuk was all sharp and defined edges, just like how he was, whereas Sungmin and Donghae were soft and subtle, just like their mother.

 

He sighs again and glances out of the window, and gazes at the afternoon sky.

 

“As you now know, we moved away when Sungmin was just a few weeks old. We settled into our new town and home and began to experience life outside of our pack’s world,” his father begins softly. “It took a few months of not being around the fights that would happen on a daily basis, but once we grew used to the peace and quiet, we started to enjoy our little family life. We both cherished Sungmin and would spoil him rotten, which soon came and bit us on the butt when he reached two years old.” Jinyoung laughs as he remembers how Sungmin would throw a tantrum if he couldn’t get what he wanted.

 

His laughter dies off when he also remembers just what happened after his son’s third birthday.

 

“When Sungmin turned three, we expected him to start showing signs of his wolf growing with him. He was growing okay, but for a werewolf babe, he wasn’t progressing as fast as he should’ve done. He was a fast little thing, but he was very weak and he was always getting sick. We were concerned, so we rang Soyu, Siwon’s mother.” Siwon looks over at them. “Your mother and Siwon’s were close friends, and since she was the pack’s nurse, it made sense to get her opinion on Sungmin....” he trails off as he recalls the phone call that changed his family forever.

 

 

_“Hello?” a light female’s voice came, and Jinyoung glances at the speaker phone from where he was sitting on the floor with Sungmin._

_Sora met his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking, “Hey Soyu, it’s Sora.”_

_His wife smiled at the delighted noise the female on the phone made._

_“Sora? Oh my, it’s been so long! How are you? How is Jin? Is Minnie okay?” Soyu rattled on, and Jinyoung shook his head at the female’s excitement and pulled a funny face at Sungmin, whom was looking at them in confusion at the sound of his nickname._

_He felt something soft hit his head and glanced up to see a reproving look on his mate’s face. “I know,” she apologised, “actually, that’s why I rang you. No, no, we’re fine. It’s just....there seems to be something off with Sungmin.”_

_He listened to Sora explain their son’s progression and felt a little tap on his hands that held the towel Sora had threw at him._

_“Who is mama talking to”? Sungmin asks curiously and Sora glanced over at the mention of her._

_“Is that Minnie?” Soyu gushes, and Jinyoung chuckled at the utter confusion on his son’s face._

_He stood up and bent down to pick up his son, propped him onto his hip, and brought them closer to the device that was on the kitchen island._

_He nudged the suddenly shy boy as he realised what his father intended for him to do._

_“Say hello,” he encouraged, and Sungmin clenched his fists into his shirt while shaking his head._

_“You’re not shy are you?” Soyu teased, and Jinyoung stifled the urge to pinch his son’s cheeks at the little pout that formed at Soyu’s words._

_“I think he is,” Sora played along, and stuck her tongue out at Sungmin’s look of betrayal._

_“Am not!” He argues huffily, and when Soyu giggles came through the speaker, Sungmin hid his face into Jinyoung’s neck._

_“Come on, little man, let’s go play with your cars,” he announces, leaving his wife to speak to Soyu privately._

_Later that night, Sora sat him down and told him what Soyu had told her._

_The first time he cried was at the birth of Sungmin, now he cried for the second time at hearing the news, and order, from his Alpha._

 

 

“Soyu told us that there was,” he stressed that word, “something wrong with Sungmin. She told your mother that she’d ring her back after she’d done some digging. Unfortunately, that caught Dongwon’s attention. He rang Sora back and demanded to know everything about Sungmin, and once he knew everything, he issued her an order.”

 

Jinyoung clenched his hands together and closed his eyes.

 

“He told you to try again, didn’t he?” Eunhyuk whispers.

 

Jinyoung nods. “He told us to start trying for another baby. He had it in his head that Sungmin wasn’t going to last long since he was constantly getting sick. But, he also claimed that he didn’t want to see us lose our only child so quickly, and demanded for us to have another so that, when Sungmin died, we wouldn’t be too scared to have another.”

 

Jinyoung scoffs. “I argued that it wasn’t fair on Sungmin for us to have another child when there wasn’t any sign of him dying, and that having another child as a replacement was cruel.”

 

Jinyoung opens his eyes and smiles at Eunhyuk. “But, what we didn’t know was that your mother was already pregnant.” Eunhyuk blinked at him and he chuckled. “What Dongwon didn’t know was that we had been trying for another child so that Sungmin could have a sibling. We hid the fact that your mother was pregnant, and pushed Dongwon’s demands to the back of our minds.”

 

“You should’ve seen Sungmin’s face when he found out he was getting, not just one little brother, but two,” Jinyoung reminisces.  “He was already besotted with your mother’s bump, and as soon as he found out there was two little brothers in there, he refused to leave your mother’s side. He was always making stuff at nursery for you two, and he was always talking to your mother’s bump.”

 

Eunhyuk smiled at his words, Jinyoung could see him imagining Sungmin doing those things, because as soon as they were born, Sungmin was constantly around them.

 

“We spoilt Sungmin when he was born, and so, Sungmin spoilt you and Donghae.” Jinyoung laughs. “His love for you two rivalled our own at times.”

 

Jinyoung’s smile fades and so does Eunhyuk’s at seeing it.

 

“We had a year of being a family,” he whispers, his throat tightening as his emotions threatened to get the best of him. “Just after Sungmin’s fifth birthday, Dongwon paid us a visit with a two year old Siwon in tow. Unknown to me, your mother had been in close contact with Soyu. She had been keeping her updated on her pregnancy and Sungmin, and in return, Soyu told her about her own pregnancy and how Siwon was growing. Your mother also told Soyu of an incident that happened when you two were just a few months old. You were crying, and somehow, Donghae had not only managed to calm you back to sleep, but also made your exhausted mother fall asleep going up the stairs.”

 

“Dongwon had grown curious at how secretive Soyu had become, so he hacked into her emails which led to him finding out about what had been happening in our lives.”

 

“What did he do?” Eunhyuk asks him quietly, and Jinyoung sighs tiredly.

 

“He saw Sungmin for himself and decided, without even interacting with him, that he needed to go, that he wasn’t going to grow the way a werewolf should grow, and because of that, he wasn’t allowed a place in his pack.”

 

“But...he was just a child,” Siwon mutters and Jinyoung gazes at the younger male.

 

“Your father was very much into everything being the old ways, Siwon. Women were to do as they were told, less dominant males had to fight to have what belonged to them, and children were born and trained to be the best. He didn’t like weak people, but yet he tolerated submissive wolves, simply because they were mostly female and easier to claim,” he explains, and Siwon closes his eyes at his words, his whole body stiff with tension.

 

 “What did he do that made you and mother grow distant towards us?” Eunhyuk demands thickly, and Jinyoung stares down in shame.

 

“He gave us demanding jobs within the pack, and since he’s our alpha, we couldn’t go against his wishes. I was forced to resign from the job that I had in town, and was ordered to rejoin Dongwon’s personnel. I would train candidates that wished to be a part of his pack or his personal guard. So for the better part of the week, I had to live in pack territory again, leaving your mother to look after three children, but Dongwon had plans for her. He ordered her to hire a nanny to look after you and he sent her to join our clean up team, they were the people that cleaned up the fights that happened within the pack, whether it was cleaning up blood or disposing bodies, she had to do it, and it wasn’t just the pack territory she had to cover, but over areas too.” Jinyoung felt his eyes prickle at the tell tale signs of tears coming and he clenches them shut.

 

“We grew up thinking you hated us,” Eunhyuk whispers, and Jinyoung felt his heart ache at the pain in his son’s voice. “Sungmin became our parent because you guys were never there. Sungmin became our protector when older kids started to pick fights with him outside the house.”

 

“He loved us and he was everything to us, and you took us away from him.” Eunhyuk lets out a broken sob that made the tears that he was holding back, fall.

 

Jinyoung sniffled and looked up to see Siwon holding his son. “We never wanted to leave you,” he cries softly. “We never let Dongwon put his mark on you three, so you don’t know the pull that an alpha has on you, you can’t escape him, you have to obey or else you die.”

 

“You were as good as dead to us, though!” Eunhyuk cries out with a hint of sorrow that made his own tears rush from his eyes.

 

He opens his mouth to speak, but Eunhyuk wasn’t finished. “You took us and left him behind! You let us live thinking that our brother had died when in fact you left him because of what he didn’t have! You let them hurt us!” Eunhyuk accuses viciously. “You let them break Donghae!”

 

Eunhyuk pauses to catch his breath and Jinyoung helplessly watches his son’s tears run down his face.

 

“You chose Dongwon over your family,” Eunhyuk whispers angrily. “You lied to us and abandoned us. Just because he’s now dead, doesn’t mean we can forget all of that, it doesn’t mean you can suddenly be our father when you haven’t been a one for twenty years.”

 

With that, Eunhyuk stands and quickly leaves the room, leaving Siwon and Jinyoung behind.

 

Jinyoung cradles his head into his hands and sobs. Of course he knew that. He just wished his son could see that he had no control of it until it was too late, by the time he had gained enough control and power to change everything, his sons ran away.

 

“Give them time, Jinyoung.” He glances up at the sound of Siwon’s voice and finds, to his surprise; the male was kneeling in front of him.

 

“Eunhyuk doesn’t know the control that Dongwon held. I do. I can see and understand how you and Sora were helpless to do anything but to follow my father,” Siwon sympathetically agrees with him.

 

Jinyoung stares at the young male and hesitantly says, “there’s something you need to know.”

 

Siwon drops his head and sighs. “I know what you’re going to say.”

 

“You do?”

 

Siwon nods. “Since my father is dead, it states in his will that his oldest son is to be declared the new alpha of his pack,” he recites and brings his head to stare at Jinyoung pleadingly. “I can’t be the alpha of that pack.”

 

“Siwon, you can change it,” he encourages the male who begins to shake his head rapidly.

 

“I-I can’t take control,” he stuttered. “I wouldn’t know how or what to do. I’m only twenty-five; I have hardly any life experience because of my father, so how can I lead a dysfunctional pack into a new way of life?” Siwon’s voice nearly turns hysterical at the mere thought of the pressure of leading a pack.

 

“Okay, calm down, we’ll think of something,” he reassures the stressed male, and frowns at the look on Siwon’s face. “What’s with that expression?” he questions slowly as Siwon goes from being terrified, to thoughtful, before turning bright with confidence.

 

“You lead,” was all that Siwon said, and yet, it was enough for Jinyoung’s mind to go completely blank.

 

“What?” he dumbly says, and Siwon was literally bouncing on his knees at whatever was in his mind.

 

“If I claim the title and then transfer the title to you, you can correct the mistakes my father has made,” Siwon explains, and it was Jinyoung’s turn to shake his head rapidly.

 

“No way, it’s a part of your family history, I am not ruining that,” he argues, and Siwon narrows his eyes at his argument.

 

“You’re the one who has seen the pack at its worse. You have been training people to live a certain way, you have the knowledge of making this pack into a pack worth being a part of,” Siwon argues, and Jinyoung narrows his own eyes at the male’s words.

 

“I am not taking leadership,” he growls, and Siwon doesn’t even flinch at the sound.

 

“Okay then, not leadership. How about a new title?” he suggests, not giving up, and Jinyoung waits for the male to explain.

 

“I’ll claim the title of alpha, but I want you as my second, but not as bodyguard,” he clarifies sharply. “I want you to be the person that will physically help me clean the mess that my father has made. Instead of you advising me, it’ll be _me_ advising _you_. You get to help the pack and mould it into what it should’ve been without all the responsibility of being an alpha.”

 

Siwon pauses to smile as Jinyoung gapes at him, before adding, “so...what do you say?”

 

 

 

A knock comes from their partially opened door and Kyuhyun glances up from where he was sitting at his desk to see Shindong standing there.

 

“May I come in?” He asks politely, and Kyuhyun nods just as Donghae answers from where he was sitting on the bed, “sure.”

 

Kyuhyun finishes what he was typing and stands from his chair. “You can sit here,” he says as he moves from the chair and towards where his mate was sitting on the bed.

 

Shindong thanks him and sits in the chair while Kyuhyun sits on the edge of the bed. He feels Donghae move to join him and he wraps an arm around the male’s waist and pulls him closer to him.

 

“I’m guessing that you want to talk about my power,” Donghae begins as Kyuhyun’s fingers slipped under the sweater that Donghae was wearing and begins to play with his hip bone.

 

“Let’s find out what you know first.”

 

Donghae shrugs his shoulders and leans against Kyuhyun. “Not much really. I only know what Dongwon told me.”

 

“Let me guess, he told you that you’re a freak?” Shindong dryly says, and Donghae nods.

 

Shindong sighs and mutters a curse under his breath that had Kyuhyun grinning in agreement. “You don’t really believe him, do you?” Shindong asks his mate, and Kyuhyun glances to read Donghae’s face.

 

His face was thoughtful for a few seconds as he thinks the question through. He catches Kyuhyun’s eye and a little blush begins to creep over his cheeks, and he bit his lips slightly.

 

Kyuhyun’s eyes focus on that little action and he has to force his fingers to still their brushing on Donghae’s hip.

 

_Shindong is here. Hae won’t appreciate it if I started to ravage his lips in front of the male._

“At first I did, but then Kyuhyun put my mind at ease,” Donghae begins, smiling fondly at Kyuhyun. “I was ashamed at forcing everyone to sleep and that I had no control over it, but Kyuhyun reminded me that it was my first shift, and just like how we shift into our wolf’s body for the first time, that experience itself can go wrong. You do things that you can’t control, but you do it because you’re not born with the ability to control everything thing for the first time, something has to go wrong in order for you to learn how to prevent it from happening.”

 

Donghae smiles shyly at him, and Kyuhyun feels his own lips pull into a small smile. “Kyuhyun reminded me of that.”

 

“Your mate is right. You need to learn from your mistakes, and through that process of learning you can gain the control you require.”

 

“So what are we called?” Donghae asks, curious, and focuses his attention onto Shindong again.

 

“We just go by Comforter.” Shindong smiles and Donghae made an ‘oh’ shape with his mouth. “If it’s okay with you, I can set up a meeting with some other comforters that I’m on close terms with,” Shindong suggests softly, and Kyuhyun sits up straighter at hearing the opportunity.

 

Donghae’s jaw drops with shock, and Kyuhyun chuckles whilst gently closing it with his finger. “Come on, this is what you need,” he encourages softly, and Donghae nods his head stiffly.

 

“Also, I can help Sungmin and Henry with their own problem. The thing with Dongwon was that he never ventured far from his own land and contacts, so he never did know that what he thought was a massive problem, it’s actually really not.” Shindong shakes his head sadly. “There’s no cure for it, but they can interact with other people and share their questions and thoughts. They can be part of a community that they’ve probably never believed existed.”

 

“They’ll love that,” Donghae gushes, and when Shindong rises to leave, he surprises both Kyuhyun and Shindong by rushing off the bed and hugging the elder.

 

Shindong raises an eyebrow at the action, but returns the grateful hug wholeheartedly.

 

“In a couple of days, if you want, I can start helping you learn your power?” He offers as Donghae pulls away.

 

It was Kyuhyun who pulls him into a hug this time. His gratefulness for the male’s generous help touches him and his wolf.

 

“I would really appreciate that, thank you,” Donghae whispers as Kyuhyun pulls away from Shindong, before he immediately latches himself onto his mate.

 

“I’ll contact you when I’ve set up the meetings,” Shindong says and then offers a goodbye, and Kyuhyun watches the male silently leave the room and closes the door without another word.

 

With his arms wrapped loosely around Donghae’s waist, his face resting in the crook of his mate’s shoulder, he lets out a little content sigh. “Everything is finally the way it should be,” he voices.

 

He didn’t expect the sudden tension in Donghae’s body.

 

“What’s wrong?” he questions, and Donghae grasps his hands that lay just under Donghae’s navel.

 

“Not everything is the way it should be...” his mate whispers, and Kyuhyun tightens his hold, bringing the body closer towards his own.

 

“What do you mean?” he gently asks against Donghae’s ear, and Donghae shivers slightly.

 

 He was caught totally off guard when Donghae whispers, “you haven’t claimed me yet.”

 

 

 

Donghae was blushing as he revealed what was tormenting his mind.

 

His blush only deepened at the feeling of Kyuhyun’s warm breath tickling his neck, just below his ear. The feeling sparked off an image in his head that he’d been picturing over the past couple of days.

 

The image was of him lying in their bed with Kyuhyun hovering over him, their naked forms just barely touching as Kyuhyun leaned down to mark and kiss his neck.

 

Donghae never got further than that. He would always force his mind somewhere else.

 

“How long have you been picturing that?” Kyuhyun’s husky voice came, and Donghae groans in embarrassment at letting the image leave his mind and into their bond.

 

He makes to leave Kyuhyun’s embrace, but his mate wasn’t having any of it.

 

“Kyu, please, it’s embarrassing!” he whines and tries to hide his scalding face when Kyuhyun spins him around so that he faced him.

 

Kyuhyun grabs his hands and forces them away from his cheeks. He then cups his face and forces his face up so that Donghae was forced to make eye contact with him.

 

He felt his stomach erupt with butterflies at the showing of lust in his mate’s eyes.

 

“Don’t ever be embarrassed to want something, Donghae, sexual or otherwise,” Kyuhyun whispers, and Donghae swallows at how husky it sounds.

 

Donghae lets out an uneven sigh as Kyuhyun brings his lips to brush over his trembling ones.

 

“Kyu...” he whispers, just as Kyuhyun smothers his lips with his own.

 

The repressed hunger he’d been having towards his mate starts to leak from him as Kyuhyun nips and sucks at his lips, drawing little helpless whimpers from him.

 

His hands snaked up into the soft brown, messy hair and tugs Kyuhyun’s face closer to him, and he presses his body against Kyuhyun’s.

 

One of Kyuhyun’s hands abandoned his face to slip down his back, and once it reaches the bottom of his spine, Kyuhyun presses him harder against him.

 

Donghae moans at the pressure of being held so tightly to his mate and has to part from Kyuhyun’s intoxicating lips in order to breathe.

 

As he pants, Kyuhyun’s lips trail from his lips to along his jaw line, all the while he’s sucking and nipping his way.

 

“Oh god,” Donghae gasps out as a wave of pleasure rips through him at the feeling of Kyuhyun biting his neck as one of his hands slips down to grope his behind.

 

“Bed.” Kyuhyun growls into his neck, and Donghae couldn’t even think of following the command because Kyuhyun was already doing it for him.

 

He yelps in surprise as he’s chucked onto the bed, before being covered promptly by Kyuhyun’s body.

 

Kyuhyun’s lips once again find their way back to his own and Donghae moans in approval.

 

He tangles his hands back into the messy locks and he unconsciously slips his legs wider to accommodate Kyuhyun’s body on top of him. 

 

Their kiss goes from being rushed and hungry, to slow and tender, both savouring the feel of kissing each other, and Donghae was relaxed enough to initiate the next step.

 

His hands slipped from Kyuhyun’s hair to the bottom of his t-shirt, and he feels Kyuhyun freeze as he begins to lightly tug the material up his back.

 

Donghae frowns at the pause and nips his mate’s lips. “Kyuhyun?” he questions softly.

 

He’s rendered speechless when Kyuhyun shoves himself away from Donghae.

 

Donghae gapes as he watches Kyuhyun shove his t-shirt back down before rubbing his hands over his face, his breathing erratic.

 

Donghae shoves himself up onto his elbows and demands, “what the hell, Kyu!?”

 

Kyuhyun shakes his head, not looking at him. “I shouldn’t have got carried away,” he hears his mate mutter.

 

“What?” he tries to keep his frustration down, but he couldn’t help it from tingeing his voice.

 

“We shouldn’t rush this,” Kyuhyun tries to argue, and it only makes Donghae’s frustration rise.

 

“Kyuhyun, what the hell are you on about?” he snaps out as he sits up properly whilst shoving his clothes back into their proper place.

 

Kyuhyun snaps his head to look at Donghae, and dark, hungry eyes call out to Donghae, and he feels the hunger inside him grow too, but beneath Kyuhyun’s hunger was trepidation.

 

“The first time should be gentle and nice, with nothing being rushed,” Kyuhyun explains. “It shouldn’t be just hunger and lust fuelling it, making us careless which would only result in you getting hurt.”

 

Donghae stares at Kyuhyun’s anxiety and gently shakes his head. “You’re scared that I’ll get hurt?” he clarifies, and Kyuhyun nods. “Kyuhyun, you can’t hurt me. I want it just as much, and to be honest, this way feels right. If we planned it and made it so careful, we both wouldn’t enjoy it,” Donghae reasons with his mate, and he could see the argument in Kyuhyun’s eyes coming.

 

He didn’t want to argue, he just wanted to be with his mate.

 

He launches himself at Kyuhyun, and Kyuhyun yelps in surprise before it’s moulded into a pleasured moan as Donghae kisses and bites his neck.

 

He fights Kyuhyun’s hands that try to remove him from Kyuhyun’s lap and he pins them to Kyuhyun’s sides.

 

“Damn it, Hae. It should be gentle and not animalistic!” Kyuhyun breathlessly argues, and Donghae bites down hard at the argument.

 

“Have you forgotten that we’re part animal?” he whispers, purring slightly as he trails his lips up Kyuhyun’s jaw.

 

“That doesn’t mean we have to behave like one!” Kyuhyun growls and tries to break Donghae’s grip on his hands.

 

Donghae stops what he was doing and stares Kyuhyun directly into his eyes.

 

“Stop fighting and claim us,” he and his wolf demand, and Kyuhyun blinks in surprise.

 

His surprise flickers away as fear begins to grow.

 

“Donghae, just give me time,” Kyuhyun pleads. “Just so I can make sure I won’t hurt you.”

 

 

Donghae could feel his wolf starting to get impatient, but they both couldn’t stand to hear their mate pleading with them. He closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Kyuhyun’s.

 

“Why can’t you see that you can’t hurt me?” He whispers.

 

Kyuhyun presses his lips against Donghae’s. “I will claim you, Donghae,” Kyuhyun promises, and Donghae sighs sadly.

 

“Just not today,” he disappointedly mutters, and Kyuhyun begins to kiss him in apology.

 

Donghae lets Kyuhyun’s hands go and wraps his arms around his mate’s neck whilst Kyuhyun places his hands onto his hips.

 

Their lust and frustration was still evident in their kiss, but they both kept it clean.

 

Kyuhyun tilted them so that they could lie down, all the while their kiss remained going.

 

Donghae wrapped his legs around Kyuhyun’s, and Kyuhyun did the same. When he tried to bring him closer, Kyuhyun resisted.

 

He made a questioning noise though their kiss and tried again to bring Kyuhyun’s hips closer to his own.

 

Again, Kyuhyun resisted.

 

Donghae snapped his eyes open and pulls away, ignoring Kyuhyun’s soft demands of, “it’s nothing, Donghae.”

 

Though, when he glanced down, he found that it wasn’t just ‘nothing.’

 

 “Kyu, you’re-” Donghae began, but Kyuhyun instantly cut him off with a smothering, demanding kiss.

 

 _“I said to leave it, Hae.”_ Kyuhyun’s desperate voice came through their bond.

 

Donghae makes a decision and as he slips his tongue inside Kyuhyun’s mouth, he tells Kyuhyun, “ _you won’t claim me, but I can claim you.”_

Kyuhyun chokes as Donghae lightly traces his finger along his mate’s clothed erection.

 

“ _Hae, I mean it. Do that, and I won’t be able to control myself,”_ Kyuhyun warns as he tries to wriggle his hips away from Donghae’s exploring hands.

 

“This is the condition,” Donghae whispers against Kyuhyun’s quivering lips. “We’re both going to burst if we don’t do something, and since you’re not ready to claim me yet, I think we should start to discover each other.”

 

Donghae presses a little kiss to his lips and smiles at agreement that flows through their bond.

 

“When did you turn into a sexual fiend?” Kyuhyun enquires softly, teasingly, and gasps as Donghae resumes his stroking.

 

Donghae and his wolf smile. “When did you become so submissive?” he teases lightly, smirking when Kyuhyun growls.

 

He gasps when Kyuhyun’s hand slips inside his pants and he throws his neck back and whines at the feeling of Kyuhyun’s hand beginning to stroke him, his own hand had stuttered to a halt outside of Kyuhyun’s pants, his mind blown to the feeling of Kyuhyun touching him.

 

 _“Shall we begin?”_ Kyuhyun and his wolf purr huskily through their bond and Donghae replies by eagerly kissing his mate, desperate sounds leaving them both, whilst dragging Kyuhyun’s pants down.

 

He swallows Kyuhyun’s strangled moan.

 

“ _Let’s begin.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_With Sungmin’s memories no longer haunting him and having the truth being revealed to him, it’s brought both of his families together._

_He and his twin brothers, along with their mates, can finally be happy and be free of their past._

_But will the person who had slipped away, come back?_

_One thing is for certain, there are no more hidden bonds._

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Posted due to popular demand over the last few months (though I don't know why people want this back lol), apologies to those on LJ, I'm too lazy to format and edit every post when I can just do one mass post here and link it from my LJ.
> 
> Almost done with editing it, so it all should be up within a couple of days.
> 
> Enjoy?


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